USD 407 Steering Committee Hosts Community Insight Forum
The USD 407 Steering Committee hosted a Community Insight Forum Tuesday evening at the Dream Theatre in downtown Russell.
The purpose of the forum was to present information to the public about what conversations the Steering Committee has been having over the last several months.
The forum was led by Steering Committee Co-Chair Mandy Trout and Committee Member Mark Mai. USD 407 Superintendent Jordan Perez and Malcolm Watkins with Schaefer Architecture also were in attendance to answer questions.
The presentation covered information about the Steering Committee's purpose and goals to research options for facility improvements in USD 407.
Trout detailed information they considered including median income in Russell County compared to the state, other school districts in Russell County that will be impacted and declining enrollment concerns.
She then went school district building by building and talked about what improvements are needed and how much each would cost.
Trout then discussed in detail the options and phases the Steering Committee has discussed regarding building renovations and/or new construction.
A breakdown of the financial impact for commercial properties, residences and agriculture land was then discussed.
According to Trout, facility improvements will require a bond issue for property taxes of a yet-to-be determined amount and hopefully a piggybacking sales tax as well.
Following the presentation, questions were taken from the audience.
Questions and topics discussed included the effectiveness of sales tax versus property tax, possible locations of a new school building, grant funding, cost estimates, what to do with old buildings moving forward and sales tax for other school districts in the county.
For the presentation slides and more information from the Steering Committee, go to USD407.org.
