MCS Board Proposes Millage Renewal and New Bond for the Ballot in August
Bond proposal includes high school entrance enhancements.
At the last few school board meetings, finances have been the main item on the agenda. Each year begins with a budget, and each year the board conducts a mid-year review of their budget to see how things are going. The good news is that finances are better than anticipated. The bad news is that $473,000 had to be taken from the schools equity in order to cover costs. Manchester schools still has what is considered to be a “healthy” amount of equity, but it only covers about 11% of the overall budget.
The board is looking toward the future. This August, there will be two items on the ballot for Manchester Community Schools: 1) renewal of the millage, and 2) a new bond. The millage renewal would keep the schools operating at the current level. The added bond, which will be an additional increase for tax payers, is for improvements that the schools need.
The board has recommended a bond, not to exceed $3.5 million, for safety, technology, and transportation. The final number has not been determined at this point. It should be noted that the original bond proposal totaled $4.8 million, but the board reconsidered that proposal due to the library millage renewal in November and the village bond on the ballot in August. In order not to overburden the taxpayers, they removed some items that were not considered dire needs and will present only the necessities in the bond proposal.
The transportation items designated in the bond proposal are six new buses, both regular and special education, to be phased in at intervals. The technology advancements include maintaining the 1:1 IPad program and additional professional development for the staff. The safety improvements in the bond proposal include installing a PA system in the Ackerson building, enhancing the entrance at the high school, and enhancing the 911 phone system at Klager.
The increased security in the schools has become, and continues to be, a priority in school districts across the country since the Columbine shooting massacre. This year, the Manchester Community Schools employees participated in ALICE training. ALICE provides school employees alternatives to a normal lockdown procedure when there is an active shooter in the building. All of the safety improvements were included in this proposal with that training in mind.
One of the main components in ALICE is communication. Calling 911 for help is essential and is the first step that should be taken in the face of danger in a school. The proposed enhanced 911 system at Klager would make it simpler to get the help when and where it's needed. It would allow a 911 dispatcher to see not only that a call is being placed from Klager Elementary, but specifically which room is placing the call. The enhanced phone system is required by law to be in place by 2016.
Ackerson currently does not have a method to announce that there is a threat in the building. In order to keep our children safe, this is necessary. Communicating to everyone in the building the location and activities of the shooter, actually helps in two ways. By announcing the location of the threat, those classrooms that are farthest away from the threat can choose to leave the building, rather than go into lockdown. This removes lives from danger. It has also been found that announcing a shooter’s location and movements can throw off a shooter's concentration. Providing the entire building with information takes away the shooter's upper hand. It allows for the planning of defense and removes the element of surprise.
Enhancing the entrance at the high school is necessary to provide a barricade to keep unauthorized individuals from entering the building. Currently, visitors walk through the front doors and are expected to stop in the office immediately inside. There isn’t an obstacle between the outside and classrooms.
Adding an additional safety item is being discussed by the board. Currently, the only phone that can access the PA system in Klager is in the office and if an incident occurs or begins in the office, it would be difficult to contact or warn the rest of the building. At this time, the board is not sure whether an upgrade of this system will be included in the bond proposal.
These safety enhancements are necessary to keep our children safe. There is nothing more important than we can do as a community.
School board meetings are held the third Monday of every month at the Ackerson building. Public participation is welcomed. Questions, concerns, and the need for further information can always be addressed at those meetings. The public is encouraged to attend the meetings prior to voting on this important bond.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login