The Legacy Vote

From left: Chuck Siebrasse, Paul Beilfuss, Russ Fletcher, Brian Schrader and Cohen Barnes conduct
a town hall meeting on the District #428 referendum at the Egyptian Theatre in Downtown DeKalb.

On Tuesday, February 5, 2008, the residents of District #428 of DeKalb, Cortland and Malta will decide whether or not to approve a major construction bond to build a new high school, a new elementary school and make substantial improvements to the current high school, Huntley Middle School and Chesebro Elementary School.

In many ways and for many people this will be their legacy vote for the community.

It is unlikely that any of the 1,700 students enrolled at DeKalb High School will attend classes in the new high school. This is a vote for tomorrow.

A legacy is that which is handed down to the coming generations. A gift. A remembrance. This generation remembers the contributions of its predecessors and so shall it be remembered.

For the residents, should the referendum pass, the legacy will be easily identifiable. Future generations will attend schools paid for by this generation. And let's face it -- coming up with extra-already-highly-taxed dollars isn't a sure thing in this economy.

Some members of this generation had parents who lived through the era of the Great Depression and World War II. Yet many public buildings and schools built in that era are still in use today. Those were tough times, too, but fortunately for us they dug deeper.

If this referendum passes those serving on the District #428 School Board will have an addendum to their legacy. They will be authorized to sell up to $110 million dollars in debt obligation bonds to finance the construction and improvements of the schools. They could be remembered like Clinton Rosette, for example, who did such a fine job when it was his time to step up that they named a school after him. Or, they could be remembered as the fools who spent $110 million because they could.

That's how important a legacy is.

A successful referendum does not insure a likewise legacy. It's not the price of the gift that counts. Money can serve to just make mistakes more expensive.

Voter approval would provide a funding mechanism to build the schools of tomorrow, today. The buildings will open in a few years but they are likely to have students attending them for another 50 years.

Voter rejection of the referendum does not address the need for schools in the future. It just sends the planners back to the drawing board to shake up the same need and figure out how to pay for it. District #428's been stuck in that mode since the turn of this century.

A big part of the problem is that financing the schools of tomorrow with voter approval today requires the political promise of instant gratification. The only instant gratification property tax payers are interested in conflicts with any need for a referendum.

Property taxes are a problem for this generation. Ask any school board member, administrator, or ReNew Our Schools committee member if property taxes are a problematic source for school funding. They'll be bobbing their heads like the baseball dolls. Heck of a legacy that would be, wouldn't it? To know we have a problem and not address it?

If other than referendum funding sources are available surely someone would have identified it. We could delay the construction until a better source is found. Any source is better than us but that's a heck of a legacy, too.

The funding mechanism is a referendum. The problem is high property taxes. Simple. We just tackle both problems.

Because of legal technicalities the referendum ballot question must place a limit on how much money is authorized to be spent. It must also outline specific projects the debt obligation bonds can be used to pay for. The district's Facilities Planning Committee has spent two years putting the conceptual plans together. The real plans are put together after the referendum passes.

Community input will be needed more after the referendum passes than it was in getting it passed.

District administrators will tell how citizen's eyes will glass over when they try to explain school finance. That's just unacceptable. Simplify. If the public approves up to $110 million in addition to their already high taxes then they deserve understandable answers to every fund, designated or not, that is in surplus. Any identified funding source, like impact fees or new construction EAV for example, should be applied or "earmarked" to reduce any debt obligations before such bonds are sold. Or shall we leave the future our legacy for them to pay for?

Architects specializing in school construction, consultants expert in bonds and volunteers who worked hard on getting this referendum passed, darn it, should not steer the implementation of the construction plans. Full sunlight must remain on all aspects of the construction and financing of this plan so that the entire community can give fully informed input to the elected board so they can make their legacy decisions.

It's time to consider our legacy to future generations. Vote yes. Get involved.