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USD 440 Bond Information
Frequently Asked Questions
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USD 440 Bond Information Headquarters
Things You Need To Know
Bond Election Date : May 14th
Type Of Election: In Person Voting
Location: Halstead High School Gym
Last Day To Register to Vote: April 23
Open Houses
Please come learn more about the proposed school bond at one of the three open houses at the beginning of May. Get a tour of the facilities, ask questions, see the bond panels, meet steering committee members, and more. We hope to see you at our second round of open house informational sessions.
Bond Election Information
Bond Scope Informational Flyer
What is included in this project?
This school bond initiative will impact all three buildings, positioning the district for both present and future needs. Please see the attached flyer below to learn more about the recommendations made by the steering committee and approved by the USD 440 Board of Education.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Much Will The Bond Cost?
The Bond Amount is $28,500,000 and will be paid over a 25 year term.
How does the recent increase in tax assessment impact how much you need for the bond?
We actually will need fewer mills and less dollars per month due to the increase in assessments by the county. We have made adjustments on our informational flyers since learning this information. The tax increases reduced the additional funds needed for the bond on a $100,000 house by roughly $1.50 per month.
Is the district still paying a bond off?
The district has invested into paying off the bond early to save taxpayers money in interest over time. In fact, in 2020, the district refinanced the existing bond to reduce the length of the term by two fewer years and also saved the district $500,000 in interest over the last 5 years of the loan.
So is the mill increase added to what we were already paying?
Yes, the total mills needed to pay for this bond is 22.25 mills.
You were paying 9.214 mills this past year, and if the bond passes it will add an additional 13.036 mills to equal 22.25 total mills on your next tax statement.
Below is a more detailed breakdown for residential, commercial, and farm properties with data using last years assessed valuations and proposed assessed valuations for 2024. This information is an estimated value that is based upon Harvey County's recent information shared about property valuation increases, which will lower the total mills required for the bond.
How does our current mill levy compare to other districts in the area?
Below is a comparison chart that was shared with us from our Bond management firm.
We currently have the second lowest total mill levy in the area. If this bond were to pass we would still be below Moundridge, Houston, and Sedgwick for a total Mill Levy with Sedgwick being the only school district that has a smaller total assessed valuation.
Moundridge, Heston, Sedgwick, and Maize have recently passed school bonds and Valley Center has a bond election in May.
Don't we get state aid for bond payments?
Yes, currently we receive $0.55 for every dollar we spend locally on the bond payment. That number unfortunately will likely drop below $0.13 for every dollar due to changes in legislation over the years.
How will the new open enrollment laws impact the bond and the district?
The new open enrollment laws will allow any student to transfer to our school district as long as there is capacity to do so. Although we are not predicting mass exodus from any one school to another, we have to be prepared for two things.
1. The most important thing that we have thought about is how do we make sure that students don't leave our district for another district because of programs offered, quality of education, or even quality of facilities. We must be able to retain the incredible students and families that we have at USD 440 by offering them the best educational experience, opportunities, and outcomes possible.
2. The steering committee discussed being forward thinking and prepared for future growth, whether it is from those moving into our district with the open lots in both Bentley and Halstead, or from out of district enrollment. The thought was to be prepared for smart growth that allows the district flexibility so we do not have to ask taxpayers in the future for more money for facilities.
We currently have 75 out of district students enrolled at USD 440.
Are there deferred maintenance costs in this bond?
The only type of deferred maintenance in the bond is a large chiller and pipe replacement at Halstead High School. This project is expected to cost over $4 million. The chiller is at its end of life and, in fact, stopped working in August for two weeks to start the school year due to inability to find replacement parts.
Also, the district has plans to replace all roof top units by 2027 that were part of the last bond in 2004. Rooftop unit replacements are not in the current scope of work for the 2024 Bond.
Below is a list of just some of the capital improvement, mechanical, technical, or operational purchases that the district has made over the past 5 years. This list isn't exhaustive, but helps put into perspective some of the work that has been done in 5 of the past 20 years.
I see that the district is spending money on additions and repairs to Bentley Primary School. Why don't we just build a new school?
Bentley Primary School has roughly $5 million dollars of additions or repairs. The total price of a new elementary school would have likely cost well over $25 million in that one project alone. The steering committee felt that additions and repairs to Bentley Primary School was a smarter investment of tax payer money.
Yeah, but what about the cost to drive students to Bentley every day?
The district currently gets state aid for transportation in excess of $323,296. Part of that aid is to assist with transportation costs of running our daily shuttle routes from Halstead to Bentley and back.
Are you fixing the drop off lanes at HMS?
Yes, our survey identified this as an important project to families who pick up and drop off at HMS. The expanded parking lot will help address congestion and the hair pin turn that often blocks traffic. It will help add additional parking for athletic facility additions.
Speaking of athletics, is this an athletics bond?
No quite the opposite; In fact we are spending less on athletics in this bond proposal than the community spent on the last bond in 2004 which included the addition of two gymnasiums.
The steering committee made it a priority to address needs across the district, and roughly 13 percent on athletic facilities.
Why are we adding baseball and softball fields to the district? Don't you use the Rec fields?
Yes we currently utilize the city's fields. Softball and baseball improvements have been brought up when the district conducted its strategic plan and then again when we began collecting data for a potential bond. There are some safety concerns when you are talking about high school athletes needs when participating in both baseball and softball. The city owned fields are just that, city owned. Statutorily the district cannot invest into something that it does not own. Also, the fields at the city were not designed for interscholastic sports. The needs of the school district are different than the needs of the city/rec. Although we have been able to make do over the years, we know that we can enhance the experience, safety, and security of the fields for students, staff, families, and the community if we were to make this investment.
These fields will also serve as outdoor classrooms for students. Our Band will be able to practice on the fields, middle school students will be able to utilize them for recess, and all students at HMS and HHS will be able to utilize the fields for Physical Education. These are just a few of the opportunities of how these fields on our school property can serve a larger group of students beyond just our athletic teams.
I heard you want to bring metals back and we are getting an FFA program?
Halstead has never had an FFA program, and we look to bring it to the school and our communities with the investment that we want to make both in the facility and the personnel needed for those programs.
Why expand early childhood in our schools?
There were two main emphases that came out of the early childhood discussion.
First and foremoest, our teachers identified the need as a priority. The state of Kansas has put an emphasis on ensuring every child needs to read by the end of third grade, and the earlier we can expose them to rich text and language the greater the impact we will make on their primary years. We also have lost quality teachers in our district due to a lack of early childcare. Our strategic plan identifies recruiting and retaining talented employees and one way is to expand our early childhood offerings.
Second, we know that there is a need within the communities of Halstead, Bentley, and the greater Harvey County/Northern Sedgwick County area. In fact, recent studies show that the county is only meeting 20 percent of the need within the community. We know that expanding early childhood will not only meet an academic need and personnel support need, but also meet a need within our community.