The School District of Iola-Scandinavia has a draft of a community survey to be considered under Old Business on the Sept. 11 School Board meeting agenda.

The draft of the survey indicates that completion of the survey by district residents by Oct. 30.

The draft survey indicates there are two types of referendum for additional school district funding: Capital and Operational. An Operational referendum “allows a district to exceed the revenue limit to fund such things as transportation/fuel, curriculum (textbooks), staff compensation, insurance, utilities, technology, and special education services. This is the type of referendum Iola-Scandinavia voters supported in 2022. This funding will expire in 2026. The District will ask voters to renew and extend this funding within three years.”

The draft document indicates the “school district’s property tax mill rate has declined 31% over the past five years. (2023-24 mill rate projected to be $7.60)”

Facility projects identified by the school district, which could be funded through a Capital referendum include: Safety and Security for $1 million, Major Building Systems for $1.3 million, and a Facility Project for a Track for $1.2-$1.7 million. Each of these projects will seek resident input via the survey. Total for all projects is $4 million.

The survey also asks what funding level of support for the projects, “Assuming the projects funded were acceptable to you, what referendum amount would you support?” This assumes a 20-year borrowing with interest rates at 4.5 percent.

In the final pages of the survey, the district as for feedback about its Communications, Culture, Leadership, Academics & Development, and Support for Learning. It also asks for the resident’s Overall Satisfaction in: Delivering a high-quality education, Keeping the public informed, Managing funds appropriately, and Building pride in the community.