Central School District # 13J serves approximately 2700 students in the two communities of Monmouth and Independence, and a large rural area surrounding the communities. The District encompasses approximately 150 square miles, principally in Polk County, with the boundaries including a small portion of Marion and Benton Counties. Central has an estimated population of 16,307 patrons. The District operates four elementary schools serving K-5; one middle school grades 6-8; one high school serving 9-12; an alternative school at Eola, and a teen parent education program.

The District passed a bond measure of $ 11,765,000 in May of 1994 which included a project to construct a road extending 16th street near Talmadge Middle School to Hoffman Road. The project included a bridge and a road approximately three tenths mile in length. In designing the bridge the engineers found that there were errors in the original flood plain plan. They could not proceed until this was resolved. It appeared that the flood plain plan would have to be changed which involved the Federal Emergency Management Agency called FEMA. It also appeared that this process would take as much as two years or more. On the basis of this information the District Board of Directors postponed this project until a later date and use the funds to develop needed technology in each of the schools during the 1996-97 fiscal year. During the 1997-98 fiscal year district administrators met with officials to determine what needed to be accomplished to resolve the flood plain problem. The administration has since learned that there are some alternatives that are available without correcting the flood plain plan. Based on this new information the District Board of Directors decided to place this bond measure before the patrons of the District. The Board decided that the measure for the road should be separated from the measure for the new school.

The proposed $ 1,350,000 bond measure will:

n Construct a new connecting road from Hoffman Road in Monmouth to 16th Street near Talmadge Middle School to give access to the new district school to be constructed in Monmouth on land purchased from 1994 bond funds. The road and bridge will be approximately three tenth of a mile in length. The road will meet all requirements for a city street in Monmouth, which will include sidewalks and lighting. The road improvements may include culverts. The bridge will span ash creek and will connect 16th street to the new road.

n Pay issuance cost, and other bond costs

The bond will mature in 20 years or less.

The tax rate for this measure is estimated to be $ .23 for each $ 1,000 of assessed value. If both measures on the ballot passes the total cost is estimated to be $ 1.92 for each $ 1,000 of assessed value.

Submitted by:

Dr. Jack W. Stoops, Superintendent

Central School District # 13J

No arguments in favor of or opposed to this measure were filed.