The December 27, 2014 edition of the paper contained two side-by-side articles relating to the administration of ISD 166: Budget and levy discussed at School Truth in Taxation meeting, and School board considers alternative learning facility, bus route. The former contained lists of expenditures that were either over budget, or were unbudgeted.
While these categories totaled nearly $868,000, Superintendent Schwarz assured us that “we will hold costs down going forward.”
However, in the latter article we were informed that the superintendent and school board are now “moving forward in setting up a Level IV Special Education Center as well as an Alternative Learning Center,” possibly to be located near the bus garage at an estimated “investment” of $7,000,000.
Although the uses of such a facility are not detailed, we are told that it could be used for daycare, and that the school district “has 60 preschool children.”
At this juncture I cannot help but note that day care and pre-school children are not school district responsibilities, but are those of the parents. Furthermore, based on past observations of building cost estimates, I suspect that the $7 million will only be a down payment.
Even if the district is successful in schlepping for grants, we all know who will be stuck with the annual O & M costs: the property tax payers.
So much for holding costs down going forward.
Nevin D. Holmberg
Hovland
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