EDITOR’S NOTE: Wayland Union Schools will ask voters district wide in a special election May 2 for approval of a 49.7 million bond project to pay for a new pool, move music, shop and wrestling rooms into resultant rooms left by taking down the old pool and effect repairs at all middle school and elementary school buildings.
Q: Why the need for a new pool?
The life span of a public pool is 50 years and Wayland’s now is on year 48. Despite much hard work and ongoing effort, it has reached the end of its useful life and repairs and parts can no longer be guaranteed. If something breaks that might be it. No more parts = no more pool
The temperature can no longer be adequately and reliably regulated for swimming lessons and regular sessions of open swim.
If the community passes the May 2 school band issue, then one of the ways that the high school will be updated is with an updated and expanded mat/training room. This will help physical education classes and wrestling, cheer and color guard teams, but it will also mean more comfortable and appropriate facilities for community fitness classes, such as martial arts and yoga.
Visit www.Waylandschoolbond.org for the complete information or email Assistant Supt. Patricia Velie at veliep@waylandunion.org
Q:What is the impact on district residents’ taxes if approved?
A: This is a neutral tax adjustment. If approved, taxpayers will not see a change in their millage rates; there will be a zero (0) net mill increase.
Q: If this doesn’t pass, how is it not a decrease in our taxes?
A: The district is not able to reduce the current debt millage for an estimated seven or eight years, whether the proposed new bonds are added or not. This is because the current bond millage must continue until state loans used to stabilize a district’s millage are fully repaid. This stabilization is used to meet the district’s November and May annual payments and provides districts the ability to maintain a consistent mill rate; otherwise the district’s mill rate would increase or decrease every year based on use of the School Bond Loan Fund, creating an annual unknown
As it is, the WUS district’s mill rate is and has been consistently 8.4 mills since 2014, and this bond request would not change the 8.4 mills levy based on this stabilization process.
COVER PHOTO: The instrumental and choral music programs will benefit from the demolition of the old pool to make way for larger classrooms to move in and replace the aging facility.
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