Clayton Ridge looks to improve facilities with PPEL
Demolishing the 1903 building is the first priority of the Clayton Ridge School board pending a potential increase in the physical plant and equipment levy. (Photo submitted)
By Molly Moser
As the Clayton Ridge School District continues to face issues with facilities, the district invites community members to learn more by attending several upcoming events. Administration and school board members will be available on Tuesday, Oct. 4, from 4-6 p.m. and Thursday, Oct. 6, from 4-7 p.m. to give tours of the 1903 building during Parent/Teacher Conferences. A breakfast for the community will be held Friday, Oct. 7, at 7 a.m. to share a presentation and provide additional tours of the facility. Immediate needs include a Phase I plan for demolition of the 1903 building in Guttenberg. Please contact Superintendent Shane Wahls with questions at swahls@claytonridge.k12.ia.us or at 563-252-1747.
The following was submitted by Superintendent Wahls.
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The Physical Plant & Equipment Levy (PPEL) is comprised of two levies, the regular and the voter-approved. These levies produce funds to improve facilities and grounds, purchase or lease technology, enhance energy conservation, and allow for the purchase or lease of transportation equipment. The maximum amount of the joint levies may not exceed $1.67 per $1,000 assessed valuation. The regular PPEL is set at $.33 per $1,000 assessed valuation, and the Clayton Ridge voter-approved PPEL is currently set at $.67 per $1,000 assessed valuation, providing annual revenues of approximately $210,000. The length of the voter-approved PPEL is not to exceed 10 years; ours will expire on June 30, 2018.
At the October meeting, the Clayton Ridge Community School District Board of Directors will consider holding a special election in December to raise the voter-approved PPEL from $.67 per $1,000 assessed valuation to $1.34 per $1,000 assessed valuation, which would provide approximately $480,000 of revenue each year. An increase in the PPEL would allow the district to borrow a little over $4,000,000 over 10 years. Revenues from the PPEL may not be used for employee salaries or travel, supplies, printing costs or media services, or for any other purpose not expressly authorized by the Iowa Code.
In the spring of 2015, the district attempted a bond referendum of $2.70 per $1,000 of assessed valuation for a total of $10 million over 20 years. Since the failure of the referendum, the school board has teamed with Estes Construction and BLDD Architects to complete a one-year study of our facilities.
The first step was to complete a facility assessment, which is a visual inspection that identified existing conditions and provided an opinion of probable costs to perform the necessary maintenance, repairs or renovations required to bring the current condition of the facility into compliance with building codes, quality, comfort, improved learning environment, aesthetics, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The assessment also included our facilities’ current deficiencies in heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), electrical, mechanical, safety, and finishes (visible appearance).
This assessment will be used in determining feasibility and preliminary budgeting as the district moves forward to prioritize facility improvements. The second part of our study was to collect data through a process known as Quantified Learning Environment Outcomes (QLEO). This data-driven process provides a guide for facility appraisal and includes the life cycle costs that are made up of energy, maintenance, and renewal costs over 30 years. Analyzing this data has provided the district with a functional educational adequacy score (suitability to support curriculum and instruction), cost benefit ratios, and life cycle costs (maintenance and improvement costs of facilities). As we seek to remain a viable district, we are looking to maximize funding and resources as well as reducing operating costs.
Currently the Clayton Ridge Community School District has the lowest tax rate ($10.93/$1,000 evaluation) (portion of taxes put towards education) in Clayton County and ranks as the 44th lowest in the State of Iowa, which consists of 336 districts. When the district asks the voters to raise the PPEL and increase the tax rate by $.67, we are really indicating that we only need a fourth of the tax increase compared to the 2015 bond referendum of $2.70 and will have a loan for half of the borrowing period of 10 years versus the bond referendum of 20 years.
To put this in perspective, a home with a taxable value of $100,000 would have an increase of $67 per year versus a $270 increase when we attempted the bond referendum nearly two years ago. While this strategic plan still requires a tax increase, it demonstrates prudent decision-making and financial stewardship on behalf of the Clayton Ridge School Board as we seek to move forward and gain community support to improve our facilities for the current and future needs of our students.
