Iola schools’ costs becoming a reality

It’s hard to ignore $5 million worth of maintenance costs. Scott Stanley, maintenance and transportation director, presented USD 257 board members Monday with a five-year plan of district projects that need consideration.
Some of the big-ticket items were roofing at $854,000, new drainage around the track and stadium at Riverside Park for $590,000 and heating and cooling units for $2,649,500.
“It’s a never-ending cycle,” Stanley told board members. In the last three years the district has spent close to $2 million on repairing and replacing items on facilities.
Stanley also compared utility costs to new buildings in area districts. He said that he used a Westar tool to make comparisons.
McKinley Elementary comes in with a 19 rating which means it performs 34 percent worse than the  national utility level. Garnett Elementary, which was built in 2011, has an 80 rating and performs at a level 39 percent better than the national level.

STEVE SHOGREN of George K. Baum & Co., a finance group from Kansas City, discussed the bond process. Shogren works primarily with K-12 bond issues and has worked on 165 bond issues in his time at the company. Shogren said he prefers working with school districts.
“The children are our future leaders,” he said. “Quality schools help make quality communities.”
Shogren said the company offers two types of services. The first is the public policy element. It works to get the school the best possible interest rate and recommends municipal bond insurance.
“What sets us apart is that all of the good financial advice is useless if the voters don’t understand the project,” Shogren said.
This is where the second service comes in. George K. Baum would help campaign for the district to help the community better understand bond implications. Senate Bill 305, which would eliminate state aid on bond and interest, is a concern for the board. The marketing service is a tool.
“We have called their bluff for many years,” board member Don Snavely said. “They aren’t going to bluff anymore.”
Because Senate Bill 305 is pending, the need to get the bond process going is important. Board members have discussed a June 24 election day.
Shogren said the bond process can be confusing but will pay off in the long run.
“Each bond issue is a puzzle,” Shogren said. “It’s challenging but it’s rewarding. I’m a big believer in public education.

THE BOARD received approval from the Kansas Department of Education for its food service management requests for proposals, which will be advertised in a newspaper with state or regional distribution. The district will have a pre-bid meeting on April 8. This gives food service companies that are registered with KSDE a chance to offer bids to the district. Bids will be due on May 6. The district will award a contract on June 9. Board members have the option of rejecting all bids and staying with the current food service program.
Jeanette Gadelman, a cook at Iola High School, addressed the board during a public forum. She said food service workers for the district are worried that they will lose their benefits.
“OPAA doesn’t have the same health insurance policy,” she said of one of the companies interested in providing the service.
She also said Chartwells has its employees work only six to seven hours a day, which would be a cut in pay. She asked board members consider these issues when making their decision.