Board puts bond issue out to vote

RANDOLPH – It was a big decision that has been years in the making and now it’s time for the voters to make the final decision.

Randolph’s school board voted at its regular meeting Monday night to move forward in putting a $9.75-million bond issue out to voters.

But that wasn’t without some public opposition. Four people from the public attended the meeting with three voicing opposition to the bond issue to pay for a new vocational ag building and improvements at both the elementary and high school buildings.

“I’m against waste, period. . . . We don’t need all that debt. I don’t think you need the Taj Mahal. The facilities are fine,” said Mark Anderson, Randolph.

Darin Loberg, Randolph, agreed there’s no need to “keep with the Joneses or any other school” and that facilities don’t improve education much.

Dan Backer said if the bond issue passes, it will be placed mostly on the backs of farmers.

“This is why property tax has gotten to the point that it’s gotten to in the state. We got entities that sit here and people on boards, think because they’re sitting on a board, you can just vote this stuff through,” he said. “It’s going to raise our taxes on ag land tremendously; 90 percent is going to be paid off ag land. It just will be because that’s where the valuation is at.”

Superintendent Daryl Schrunk reminded the board their vote Monday was to put the issue on the ballot, not a vote for or against the actual bond issue.

“Once you go in the ballot box, you are a citizen like everyone else. Voting tonight is on behalf of the district to put it on the ballot,” he said.

Jim Scott, Vice President of the board, made the motion to put the issue to the voters. And Lucas Miller seconded it. And the board voted unanimously to put the issue on the ballot.

“I’m not using any authority of this board to push this through,” Scott said. “I’m pushing this through because I want the people to decide this. . . . I believe in the future of this school and this town, and that’s why I think it should be put on the ballot. I don’t like to have my integrity challenged. We’ve done our due diligence. We’ve had umpteen meetings on this. We’ve been up front with everybody, been transparent.”

The winding road toward the ultimate destination of a bond election started back in October 2020. That’s when the board first started looking at replacing the vocational ag building and levying funds to pay for the upgrade. COVID-19 and skyrocketing building costs forced the board to put its building plan on hold. Recent changes in legislation limit the amount boards can levy into special building funds.

The board then started studying other options to move forward with the new ag building as well as other identified needs in both the high school and elementary buildings, narrowing a 40-plus item master list with the help of a steering committee and considering different options to pay for improvements.

The board and steering committee met on the bond issue regularly in the last six months. In recent weeks, the board has been meeting weekly.

The board’s most recent discussions prioritized which projects to include in a possible bond issue, which projects to complete using its special building fund and which to include in a facility improvement plan to tackle in later years.

One of those priority items - asbestos removal at Randolph Elementary - was completed this summer and was paid through the special building fund.

Individual projects within the proposed bond improvements were also scaled back to come up with an overall bond amount the committee felt the community could support, Schrunk said.

INCLUDING Along with a new vocational ag and arts building, improvements which will be addressed in the bond issue will include HVAC and window replacement, electrical and lighting upgrades, addition of fire sprinklers and a serving kitchen, replacement of corridor ceilings, renovations to restrooms and improvements to main entrance security at Randolph Elementary; and structural and roofing repairs, and air conditioning and fans added to the main gym at the high school building.

As part of its efforts to scale back project costs, the board removed stairs, three doors and one of the mezzanine spaces in the proposed new vocational ag building. Plans for a new, secured main entrance and a kitchen addition at Randolph Elementary are still in the proposal but were also scaled back significantly.

BD Construction, Kearney, is the construction management firm for the project but local contractors will be utilized whenever possible.

In total, nearly $4.9 million is planned for upgrades at the elementary, $4.2 million for a new vocational ag and arts building; and almost $650,000 for updates to the high school building.

Preliminary information on the financial impacts to taxpayers estimates 11.5 cents per $100 valuation.

For example, property valued at $100,000 would see an increase of $115 per year. An average irrigated acre would see an increase of $4.80 per year and an average irrigated quarter would see a rise of $768 per year. Those figures are for the bond tax levy alone and do not factor in any tax asking for the school’s general fund.

Preliminary figures were calculated using a 20 year bond at a borrowing rate of 4.4 percent.

Randolph Public Schools district includes portions of Cedar, Wayne and Pierce counties. Final valuation numbers will be received from each county clerk by Aug. 20.

For 2023-24, Randolph Public Schools’ levy came in at almost 42 cents per $100 valuation, almost 41 cents for the general fund and a little more than 1 cent levied for the special building fund. The total tax request for 2023-24 came in at $3.3 million.

The board has not finalized its budget process for 2024-25 or set its general tax asking request. The board got its first look at what the budget might look like Monday night.

State legislation limits schools budget growth by 3 percent.

Historically, Randolph Public Schools’ tax levy is the lowest among public schools in the area. In some instances, area schools’ levies are more than double that of Randolph’s.

A section of the school’s website labeled Facility Plans has been dedicated to sharing documents and information with the public. More information will be shared through