The Perry County School District #32 hosted another public forum on Prop KIDS Wednesday, July 22, in which they provided more information on financial plans and answered more questions from those on the fence about how to vote on the proposition.
One of the clarifications explained by Superintendent Dr. Fara Jones was about what was done with the money from the 2017 proposition that passed. She explained that while it was known at that time that the high school would soon need renovations, issues with other buildings and the construction of the new primary center were deemed more immediate at the time. She also explained that the pandemic in 2020 affected the school boards long term plans.
“We were running out of space, and we had a lot of spaces that were just not up to par and not safe,” Jones said. “And so 2017 remodeled the elementary school, built a new primary school, which allowed that division of the buildings and spread out of the space and fixed the overcrowdedness and then we built the new school. And during that time everybody knows that lovely COVID felt kind of smack in the middle of all that. And so prices went up, things cost more. And some of the things that were slated by the board of the community to be taken care of didn’t get done because prices went up and the middle school had to be finished fully.”
Jones also explained the level of involvement FEMA has in the destruction of the damaged buildings in order to make sure the school system is able to get the full amount of FEMA funds they possibly can.
“They have to take this down and all the debris has to be sorted,” Jones said. “They can’t just pile it up and load it on a truck and it rolls out. They have to sort it out. Metals, electrics, the rubble, and in all those different places, it all is laid and tracked and everything, and all of that is so that it’s FEMA-eligible. So we are certain that we get every penny we can back in those reimbursements in that process.”
The board presented a graphic, which is also available on the school board website, explaining that if the proposition passes, Perryville would still be in the lower third of school district levies in the area after the increase, while still being able to build a modern school that competes with those with higher levies.
“Our kids deserve better. This town, this community, this county is better than that,” Jones said. “Look around you. Look at the room we’re in. And then get on that website and go walk around in that virtual tour and look at the high school, because there’s some hallways you can go down that didn’t have any tornado damage. And that’s because the board was being fiscally responsible and careful and not being fretless and making do for a long time with what they had. It is time. 70 years. It’s time for something better and newer and modern. And it competes. With what they have. For less than what they’re paying.”
The board also clarified that because of the extensive documentation of the destruction of the current building by FEMA, they will not be able to recycle materials from the building being demolished.
Jones clarified that the exact amount of FEMA money the school will get is still not exact, and that the $25 million amount of combined funding from FEMA and insurance being reported is an estimate, and it is possible they could end up receiving less or more.
A question that came up during the forum was about what the school board would do in the event that the proposition passes and they end up getting more FEMA money than expected, leading to a surplus of funds generated by the tax levy. Jones said that in that event, the school board would have options about what to do with that surplus.
“The Board would have the responsibility of deciding what to do with that surplus,” Jones said. “So the board could roll the tax back, the board could decide to do some other type of improvement on campus, the board can decide to create a fund that finances and provides for the continual upkeep to take care of what we just built. So the board would have those options.”
Questions regarding inflation and changing costs throughout the process of building the proposed school were brought up, the school board explained that they have discussed that possibility with the construction company, and there are contingency plans in place for that possibility.
Election day is August 4. Absentee voting is currently underway for those who might be out of town or unable to vote on election day.
