NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — With the official passage of the bond question for an April 1, 2025 special election in Hutchinson USD 308 on Monday, it's important to note what the impact on a homeowner would be, if the bond passes.
"Sixty-four percent of those surveyed said an $8 a month increase on a hundred thousand dollar house is where they landed," said USD 308 Superintendent Dr. Dawn Johnson. When we looked at this, we asked what is our threshold and 65% is where we said, if we get a 65% or more vote for this, then, then we're going to look at these projects, so we landed at the amount that was $8.62 on a hundred thousand dollar home would be the monthly increase."
The bond is for $109,530,000 and includes the costs to construct, furnish and equip improvements at the district’s elementary school facilities, including safety and security improvements, storm shelter improvements, and additional classrooms and multipurpose spaces. Bond funds also will be used to construct, furnish and equip a new 6-8 grade middle school facility including a new practice field, and to construct, furnish and equip renovations and improvements to repurpose the existing middle school building and create an Early Learning Center and student services facility. There is also money to relocate the district’s baseball and soccer fields and funds to construct, furnish and equip other necessary renovations and improvements to district facilities and to pay costs of issuance and interest on the Bonds during construction of the project.
"We have to have an application that goes to the state board of education and to KSDE," Johnson said. "Then the state board of education has to approve that application, quite a few things that have to happen. There'll be several notices in the paper that we'll have to have done so that we can keep the community informed of where we are and where we're going, and all of those are just by state statute."
The application can now go forward and will go before the State Board once it has been properly published.