'Valley' boards approve merger; bond must pass

By identical 5-1 votes, the Republican Valley and Twin Valley school boards Wednesday night approved board-to-board petitions to merge the two school districts and create a new school district.

However, those approvals mean absolutely nothing if bond issues to finance a new $6.9 million dollar school building do not pass in both districts.

The bond election will be March 25. If approved, a new district would be created Aug. 1, 2003. Classes would begin in a new building in the fall of 2005.

Twin Valley board president Duane Teter said, following a special meeting at the school in Bartley, "If the voters do not approve the bond issue -- in either district -- the board-to-board petition, and the merger, are null-and-void."

The power to determine the future of the two districts still lies with the patrons, Twin Valley board member Mark Hayes emphasized. "If they don't want the merger, they can vote against the bond issue. If they support the merger, they can vote for the bond issue."

Republican Valley Superintendent Brent McMurtrey echoed Hayes' comment, after Republican Valley's special meeting at the RV high school. If the bond issue does not pass in both districts, the petitions to merge will not go into effect, McMurtrey said, and everyone is back to square one.

The merger of the two districts and the construction of a new building became intrinsically linked, Teter said, when citizens' committees formed by each of the two districts about two years ago came to their boards with a proposal that indicated a merger would not be feasible for either district without a new building. Each district has aging buildings, Teter said; neither district has a building that would make a viable junior-senior (or middle school/high school) attendance center if the two districts merged.

At informational meetings during the past two years, voters were told they would be allowed to vote on the merger issue. Teter said, however, to help simplify the issue and because the merger and the new building are one and the same, the bond issue for the new building will be the only issue on the election ballot. Voters still have the ultimate say-so, he stressed: "If they don't want the merger, they can vote against the bond issue."

McConville said he wants patrons to understand that this board-to-board petition alone does not merge the two districts, nor would it build a new building.

The ballot question will ask each district to approve the issuance of bonds worth $3,495,000 -- half of the expected cost of the new building. However, if the bond issue passes and the merger is approved creating a new district, the cost of the new building -- $6,990,000 -- will be distributed evenly over the entire district. McConville said the tax levy for the new building is expected to be $.26 per $100 of valuation. That levy is over-and-above the state's $1 levy limit, McMurtrey said.

For this merger/bond issue question to advance to an election, each board had to approve each of these three items:

- A special election resolution, which set the election for March 25;

- The merger petition and plan; and

- A resolution to dissolve its district if the bond issue passes in both districts.

Each board vote on each issue was 5-1.

Voting "yes" at Twin Valley were: Duane Teter, Steve McConville, Kenny Kelley, Mark Hayes and Doug Deterding. Voting "no" was Greg Macy.

Voting "yes" at Republican Valley were: Tom Sughroue, Kathy Lord, Theresa Brooks, Mike Cuellar and Larry Randolph.

Voting "no" was Rick Ruggles.

During an informational meeting hosted by both boards in December, in Indianola, Twin Valley Superintendent Mark Norvell said, separately the two districts operate 11 buildings. And each district is in violation of federal law because the buildings are not handicapped-accessible.

With a merger, the district would operate two buildings, both of which would be handicapped-accessible.

Republican Valley has 280 students; Twin Valley has 170. Together the new district would have 450 students.

Teter said a land purchase agreement is also contingent upon the outcome of the bond election. If the election passes, the boards will purchase about 15 acres of land north of the existing school in Bartley for the proposed new junior-senior high. Architects project the new building would be ready for classes in the fall of 2005.

Both districts plan informational meetings before the election.