By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Nickerson-South Hutchinson USD 309 Superintendent Curtis Nightingale is optimistic that a bond issue proposal will be coming from his board.
"We had a fairly spirited conversation at our board meeting last night, actually," Nightingale said. "I think we're getting closer. We certainly haven't nailed anything to the wall yet. In talking with patrons and talking with parents and stuff, I think there are a lot of ideas out there. I think there are a lot of wants. There are definitely a lot of needs and we're trying to weigh those and make it something affordable."
Once they finalize the scope of what they want to see voted on, then it's time to educate the public.
"You've got some who will say, here's how you sell it, a cup of coffee a day kind of thing," Nightingale said. "I'm not sure that's going to mean a lot to people that are on a fixed income and those types of things. They're not going to Starbucks and buying a cup of coffee every day. That's not real for them. At the end of the day for them, they are either making a monthly payment or they are making a yearly proerty tax payment. What's that mean to them? We have to be careful of that. We also have to show that we have done our due diligence and we have taken care of what we have."
There's a school of thought that says ask for everything at once so you only have to get one yes vote, but that's not Nightingale's preferred approach.
"We have to have a plan, I think, in terms of playing the long game," Nightingale said. "Looking at the immediate needs, maybe you go with a shorter term, lower priced bond to basically prove to your constituency that you're going to do what you say and that you say what you mean."
Nightingale added that once you've proven to taxpayers that you'll use their money efficiently and wisely, then there is still the opportunity to go back when that bond is paid for and talk about some of the wants then.