Frequently Asked Questions - Bond Issue - Part 2

The district had to reduce staff and took drastic measures to reduce energy costs and other costs last year. Why did this
happen and what is being done to correct it?
This is a difficult time for schools all across the state and every school district is fighting different battles based on their
circumstances, but every battle comes back to the same thing. Schools in Kansas are not being funded adequately. In
2012-13 our total revenue per student from all sources was $ 19,002 and in 2014-15 the total revenue was $ 16,022. This
is a difference of $2,980 per student. If you multiply that number by the 693 students we had last year you will see that
our revenue is down by $ 2,065,140. That is why we have had to make some difficult decisions over the past few months
so that the long-term financial health of the district is solid.
In addition to this, we have tried to build our budget for 2015-16 based on the assumption that our revenue may be cut
during the middle of the year. We hope this is not the case, but we were very thoughtful as we built our budget for this
year. None of us in the district has much if any control over the revenue situation, but we will find a way to overcome this
while still providing a quality education to our students.

Why not just build additional classrooms to the West of the current building and leave the current High School Gym
alone?
We actually considered this option. As we talked about this option, someone asked us to think ahead 15 years and think
about what options we would have for a new gym. The answer kept coming back to the fact that our Junior High/High
School campus is landlocked and the fact that Homer Hanson Stadium is a beautiful stadium that we want to promote and
highlight rather than hide. If we want to build a new gym at any time in the future, we would have to build that new gym to
the west of the current JH gym.
If we were to build classrooms in the area to the west of the current JH gym it would be cheaper and easier now, but it
would be more costly later on down the road. We have tried to look ahead and develop a plan that is best for our district
and our community long-term.

Why do we need new science classrooms? What will we able to do in these classrooms and labs that we cannot do right
now?
Think about how much the world of science and technology has changed in the last 40 to 60 years. The current Biology
classroom in the high school building looks exactly the same today as it did in the 1950 yearbook. The current Chemistry
classroom looks exactly the same as it did in the 1977 yearbook. The best that we can tell is that the current Chemistry
room was updated around 1963 when the junior high was built. We believe that the current Biology room got new
cabinets in the early 1970s but that was the only update that we know about.
Our students are currently at a disadvantage when they go to college because they are behind their peers from across the
state because of the lack of technology and the lack of experience in modern science labs. We feel that it is important
that we prepare all of our students to be successful for their next steps after high school. We feel that new science
facilities will help level the playing field for our graduates while also encouraging them to consider careers related to
science and medicine, including careers related to agriculture.
We feel that the new updated science classrooms and science labs will help us in the following ways

Students would be able to participate in longer more complex lab experiments because the equipment could be
set up in the lab and allowed to remain set up for longer periods of time.
The classrooms would be separated from the lab space which would allow some classes to continue working in
the regular classroom while other classes could be working in the lab.
Technology would become a more important component of teaching and learning
Safety would be enhanced for our students and staff because of increased space, improved safety designs, and
expanded storage areas

When would construction begin on these projects? When would we expect construction to be finished?
We would expect construction to begin in the summer of 2016 with a potential completion date in the summer of
2018. We have not started talking about how these projects would be staged, and we have not discussed any specific
timelines. There is still a substantial amount of architectural, engineering, and design work that must be completed before
construction can begin.

I have heard some talk about a Phase II. When would that take place and how much would that cost?
It is way too early to begin talking about a Phase II. There are additional projects and general maintenance that we would
like to accomplish related to our facilities in the future, but it is our intention to complete the additional work without an
additional tax increase. Some of the items that might be considered for Phase II include new facilities for the Agriculture
Education Department, renovations to the Auditorium, improvements to the HVAC systems, parking areas, and
improvements to the track.

What are the plans for the Agriculture Education Department?

The long range plan for the Agriculture Education Department is to move the classrooms, shop area, and greenhouse into
new facilities that are connected to main building. This will improve the safety and security of our campus by keeping all
classrooms under one roof. This will also protect our students from the rain, snow, wind chill, and other weather elements
because they will not be going outside to change classes.
The short term plan also calls for parking in the vacant area between the current art building and the current Agriculture
Education Building. The long range plan also calls for the removal of the two metal buildings on the south end of our
campus and for these areas to become parking lots for our students and staff during the day and district patrons and
guests at night.

Why does the burden of improving district schools fall on property owners? Is there a way to spread the tax burden out to
include all patrons in the school district?
School districts do not have the authority to levy any taxes other than property taxes. That is why school districts across
the state rely on property taxes for their local option budgets, capital outlay budgets, and projects that require the selling
of bonds.
The only entities that can levy a sales tax are city, county, and state governments. There are a few circumstances across
the State of Kansas where the local government has agreed to work with school districts to use sales tax revenue to help
fund capital improvement projects. These instances are few and far between.

How accurate are the anticipated tax increases that have been published in the flyers? I am a farmer and the Marshall
County Appraisers Office said that the anticipated tax increases for farmers were off by about $100 a year.
Property taxes on farmland are very hard to estimate because every parcel of land is different and the amount of taxes
depend on the type of soil on each parcel of land. The estimates on the flyers that have been produced by the Marysville
KIDS Committee and George K. Baum and associates are based on information that was collected over the past eight
years from the State of Kansas documentation.
We have tried to be as transparent as possible throughout this process and we will continue to do our best to remain
transparent. Each of the flyers that has been produced since the start of this campaign includes a statement encouraging
landowners to consult their property tax statements to better understand how this proposed bond issue would affect them
personally.

I am on a fixed income. How will I be able to afford this tax increase?

We are certainly respectful of our citizens that are retired and/or on fixed incomes. We want our patrons to be aware that
there is a Kansas Homestead Refund Program to assist some in this regard. Under this program, if you own your own
home and have household income of less than $33,401 per year, you may qualify for a refund of a percentage of property
taxes paid on your home. In addition to the income qualification, you must also meet one of the following criterions: (a)
be 55 years of age or older, or (b) are blind or totally and permanently disabled all of the tax year, or have a dependent
child under the age of 18 who lived with you during the entire tax year.
The percentage of tax refund varies based on the household income
For example, if you own a $75,000 home and have household income of $25,000--the estimated tax for the bond is
$128.00 per year; however, the estimated homestead refund is estimated at $237.15. The homestead refund is more
than the bond issue tax effect.
If your household income is less than the $25,000 example, the refund percentage of property tax obligation would be
higher.
If you want more information about the Homestead Refund Program, the District's Financial Advisor has prepared a
handout to explain. Please request one by contacting the District Office.