CPS Puts Bond on Ballot

Consider the last TikTok you made. Did it get over 1000 views? That’s a lot of people! Now think about that thousand being in the same building, trying to gain an education. This is where Columbus Middle School currently stands. With 1,207 students in the building, CMS has become the largest middle school in the state of Nebraska – a huge honor, but not a title we would like to keep.

Columbus Public Schools is trying to pass a bond to create an intermediate school in the November mail-in election. I consulted with Dr. Chester Kay to help answer all of my questions about the bond – what it is, the impact it will have, and the effect on the Columbus community.

First, we discussed what the bond is. Many people don’t realize it, but it is more than just building an extra school. It is a petition for an “intermediate” school for the fourth and fifth graders. The school will be able to hold 800 students, and the bond would cover construction, as well as furniture and furnishings for the building. In theory, this intermediate school would be north of the Columbus Middle School, allowing for easy traffic flow and pickups.

Along with taking the pressure off the middle school to hold four separate grade levels, Dr. Kay mentioned there are other benefits to an intermediate school for grades 4 and 5. The current middle school and elementary schools are extremely overcrowded at the moment; it is so tight that new residents cannot even get into their local elementary school due to capacity. Taking the fourth grade out of elementary schools and the fifth grade from the middle school would allow more space within the schools to expand the lower grades and create smaller classes.

That leads me into my next point about the bond – class sizes. At the moment, there are approximately 28-35 students within a classroom at any time during the school day. This is unacceptable, because the teachers lose their personal connection with the students, and the students lose a possible mentor or confidant. If the intermediate school is created, the numbers would immediately move to Dr. Kay’s target – 16-25 students per class.

The last topic Dr. Kay and I talked about is the effect the bond will have on the Columbus community. Currently, adults and students alike are raging on the internet, saying the bond will create a great financial burden on the community and the building is not worth the cost. Dr. Kay completely disagrees, as it does not have the impact many believe it to have. Overall, the bond requires a 3.2 cent increase in the district’s tax levy. So, for each $100,000 of property valuation, a taxpayer will only pay an additional $32 per year ($2.66 a month). In the long run, $32 a year is not that much of a financial burden. That’s only 6 Scooter’s drinks, 2 new books, or a few quick snacks at the grocery store. Is $32 really worth depriving students of quality education during their first years?

A bond requires a vote of stakeholders (registered voters) in the school district and must pass by at least one vote.  The vote is a mail-in election due on Nov. 4.  

Before we parted ways, Dr. Kay left some thoughts about the bond that I thought I’d just share directly in his words: “The process to get to this decision included 16-months of research, meetings, and community input.  There are several factors that were identified by these meetings to keep in the forefront of the decision.  Those included cost, location/drop-off, new space, and the single build.  Three projects were taken to the board, and the intermediate building concept was selected.  The other two options were moving back to K-5 elementary schools, which would have included a new elementary and additions to the existing five elementary buildings. The second option was to begin using portable trailers. This would require the district to rent trailers, meet city code for placement/structure, meet all life safety requirements, and figure out what to do with inclement weather situations.  The cost, based on the number of trailers needed, would have nearly the same impact as an annual bond payment.”

As you can see from Dr. Kay’s words, the intermediate school is the best course of action for the young fourth and fifth graders. So – vote YES to the CPS Bond!

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