Waitsburg Schools Solicit Input

WAITSBURG - The Waitsburg School District is inviting community members to attend a com- munity forum next week to learn more about the programs, operations and facilities of the District. The forum will be held Monday, November 11 at 6:30 p.m. in the Waitsburg Elementary School.

Community input is being sought by the School Board on maintenance and operations needs, as well as its future building plans. This input will assist the board in determining the amount of support it will request of taxpayers.

In February 2012, vot- ers in the Waitsburg School District approved a two-year Maintenance and Operations levy to provide continued funding for the schools and their programs. This year, the amount of the levy was $435,000 and in 2014 it will be $447,000.

The M&O funds support full-day kindergarten and middle and high school athletics, as well as other extra-curricular programs, such as FFA. They also help provide salaries and benefits for teachers, classified staff and administrators in basic education programs that are not funded by the state.

Building bonds were approved by voters in the 1990s for the modernization and renovation of all three schools - Waitsburg Elemen- tary, Preston Hall Middle School and Waitsburg High School. These bonds will retire in 2016. Having com- pleted a Study and Survey of Facilities in 2012, the School Board is interested in sharing the report with community to help identify future project needs. In order to fund these projects, voters in the District must approve a bond levy measure.