9.13.17
An important decision faces our community this November, as voters will decide whether to approve a bond issue to construct new schools in our community. As many residents know, NELSD school facilities are aging and face mounting maintenance and repair costs each year.
Our outstanding teachers and staff provide great opportunities and education for our students, often working against issues out of their control, like heating and air conditioning regulation, poor air quality, limited outlets for technology, circuit overload, poor water pressure and drainage, outdated science labs, limited accessibility for students with disabilities, parking and traffic flow issues, classrooms without doors, overcrowded hallways, lack of storage, poor acoustics and inappropriate spaces used for instruction. If you haven’t been in a Northeastern school recently, please feel free to contact the building principal at any building to schedule a time to see our facilities for yourself.
The November 7 bond issue would address these issues with new school facilities for our community.
The Northeastern Board of Education invites the community to join us at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 26, at Rolling Hills Elementary for an informational community forum about the upcoming bond issue. During this meeting, the district will present information about the plan and the bond issue, unveil concept site plans for both facilities, and take questions from residents. This is a great opportunity for residents to get facts about the bond issue to make an informed vote at the ballot on Nov. 7.
If approved, the November Bond Issue would construct two preschool through 12th grade facilities. One would be located near the current South Vienna school property. The second would be behind Kenton Ridge High School. The cost of construction of the schools would be shared by the state with a 40 percent – or $40 million – contribution from the state toward the basic costs of construction. The bond issue would raise $77 million in total for the local contribution of the project and some locally-funded initiatives like land acquisition and upgrades to ensure the buildings will serve this community well for many years.
The combined 7.93-mill bond issue and .5-mill permanent improvement levy for maintenance will cost about $25 a month for the owner of a $100,000 home. You can find more details about our current facilities, the bond issue, and the facilities plan on our website at nelsd.org.
NELSD appreciates the supportive community that has always made this district a great place to live and learn. We hope that our residents will join us at 7 p.m. on September 26 at Rolling Hills Elementary School, 2613 Moorefield Road, to learn more about this important decision for our community’s future.
John P. Kronour, Ph.D.
Superintendent