BLUFFS, Iowa (KMTV) — Following the failure of a bond issue in Bennington, Nebraska, we take another look at southwest Iowa, where voters recently rejected a proposal for a new school financing project. I investigated the reason.
More | Bennington Bond Fails: Community Reacts and What's Next?
- Lewis Central school board members said they think there are several reasons for this, including inflation impacting household necessities like gas and groceries.
- Residents already feel that property taxes are too high, even without additional taxes.
- “What happened in Glenwood in particular is that people were really paying attention. People were informed, they knew what was going to happen, and they were locally organized.” said Chris Hegenau, chairman of Four Tax Relief.
- Lewes Central Superintendent Brent Horsing said. This is because class sizes in elementary schools currently range from 23 to 38 students per class. Currently, the class size in middle school is 30-34 students…”
Broadcast transcript:
Voters in Bennington just rejected a school bond issue, and we're tracking a similar story in Iowa.
I'm Katrina Markel, a neighborhood reporter in southwest Iowa.
What's behind Iowa voters' recent rejection of bond issues and other school funding plans?
Lewis Central, Glenwood, Clarinda, Underwood: All school districts where voters rejected school funding proposals.
Lewis Central school board members said they think there are several reasons for this, including inflation impacting household necessities like gas and groceries.
He also pointed to increases in property taxes. As property values have increased, so have taxes.
Iowans for Tax Relief, a think tank that advocates for tax cuts, agrees.
“They know how much they're billed one year and how much they're billed the next, and they find that their property tax payments keep going up year after year, and that's a source of frustration,” IFTR's Chris Hegenau the president said.
After Glenwood voters rejected the bond in November, the district filed a statement of revenue purpose. How to use sales tax to fund school projects. The election was placed on the ballot in March, when voter turnout is usually low.
“What happened in Glenwood in particular is that people were just really paying attention. People were informed, they knew what was going to happen, and they were locally organized.” Hagenau said.
After the bond failed, Lewes Central Superintendent Brent Horsing said the district still needs to find a way to deal with growth.
Mr. Horsing said: “Where do we leave our children? Because currently, class sizes in elementary schools range from 23 to 38 students per class. Currently, class sizes in middle schools range from 30 to 34 students… ”
Lewis Central School will make another attempt to pass an amended bond issue in November and we will continue to follow that story.
I'm Katrina Markel, Southwest Iowa reporter.
