USD 353-Wellington is conducting a survey of district patrons seeking their input on facility needs and projects. The board of education is considering needed facility improvements in the district and a potential bond election to finance those improvements.
The district has an existing bond that pays off soon, putting the district in the position to finance another bond with little or no increase to the mill levy. The district can raise $14.6 million for needed projects in the district with no tax increase to patrons. However, 20 to 25 million may be necessary to cover the cost of all deferred maintenance needs. This could mean an increase not to exceed $59 annually on a home appraised at 100,000. Superintendent Adam Hatfield says, “The district wants to be transparent with the community. By laying out the entire list of needs and letting our patrons know the potential costs and tax implications, we believe community members can provide meaningful feedback on where their priorities lie. The survey will be extremely valuable as the district establishes priorities for maintenance and other possible projects that would benefit students.”
The district has prepared a short video to accompany the survey. Hatfield commented, “Many patrons haven’t been to all of the buildings in quite some time. We’ve provided a 3-minute video tour highlighting many of the items on the survey. The survey takes 2 to 3 minutes to complete. We really hope patrons will invest the time to help us make the best decisions possible for our community.”
The survey will open on February 13 and will be available in both an online and paper-pencil format. Registered voters will receive a mailer on or around February 17. The survey will arrive as either a postcard with a QR code that links to the video and survey, or an envelope containing two paper-pencil copies of the survey. All patrons, including those who are not registered voters, can provide their input through the online survey link. Each person of voting age should complete his/her own survey, and each person should complete the survey only once.
When the district conducted an online survey two years ago, few people over the age of 70 responded. To encourage such patrons to participate, registered voters aged 70 and above are being provided with paper-pencil surveys. Birthday information was obtained via an open-records request for the voter registration list.
The district encourages everyone to take the survey online rather than using the paper-pencil form if possible. Paper-pencil surveys must be entered into the database manually, and it will save time and reduce the possibility of entry errors if surveys are completed online.
Survey results will be presented at the March 10 meeting of the USD 353 Board of Education. The full report will also be available on the district website soon after that date.
The survey will open on February 13. Patrons completing a paper-pencil form of the survey can return them by mail to the district office or drop them off in person at any school or district office. Surveys should be completed online or returned no later than February 28.
The video and survey can be accessed at https://forms.gle/KpUpdJdE9WsUDdPJ9.