Howard: Jackson Heights bond issue won't raise taxes if passed

Jackson Heights school district residents will vote in November on a $5 million bond issue for build­ing additions at each of the distric­t’s two school buildings, and Dis­trict Superintendent Jim Howard noted that with adjustments to the district’s budget, voters won’t find themselves paying any more in property taxes.

“We are confident we can pass a bond with no new taxes,” Howard said of the bond issue, which will be on the Nov. 4 general election ballot. “Our strategy to issue a bond without raising the total mill rate is built on strong past financial management.”

The Jackson Heights USD 335 Board of Education on Aug. 11 ap­proved a bond resolution placing the bond issue on the November ballot, and if passed, a new middle and high school building annex with six new classrooms and an ele­mentary addition with a music room and two new classrooms will be built, along with a covered walkway connecting the two school buildings.

The estimated price tag for the building project currently ranges from $4.7 million to $5.3 million, including architect’s fees totaling 7 percent and a 10-percent contin­gency fee, it has been reported.

Howard said times, dates and places for a series of public meet­ings in each of the district’s five communities — Circleville, Netawaka, Soldier, Wetmore and Whiting — will be established at the school board’s next meeting, set for Monday, Sept. 8. Informa­tional materials on the proposed additions and bond issue are also currently available at each of the school buildings and at the district office, he added.

“Transparent communication is a priority,” he said.

The district has seen substantial growth in recent years, spurred by Prairie Hills USD 113 board action to close the Wetmore Attendance Center in February 2023 and Jack­son Heights’ subsequent welcom­ing of Wetmore students into the district starting with the 2023-24 school year. The addition of Wet­more students added about 110 to the student count, Howard said, and the school district’s boundaries have been enlarged with the addition of Wetmore into the district.

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