New district continues with plans

By CONNIE JO DISCOE Regional Editor

BARTLEY -- The window of opportunity to obtain competitive bids to build a new Republican/Twin Valley junior-senior high school has "slammed shut" because of delays caused by a lawsuit that challenges the sale of bonds to finance the new building.

That's what an architect told members of the board of education of the newly-merged Republican Valley and Twin Valley school districts at a board meeting Monday evening in Bartley.

Yet the new district continues with its plans to educate its junior and senior high students in a new building in Bartley and its elementary students in the grade school in Indianola. "That's what the voters approved last spring," Brent McMurtrey, the superintendent of the former Republican Valley school district, said Monday.

Davis Design architect Stephen P. Granger of North Platte told board members that contractors are busy again, and costs to build the new school will most likely increase by 5-6 percent because of the delays and uncertainties caused by the lawsuit.

Granger said, depending upon progress in the lawsuit, bids from contractors could be ready in November. That means construction could start in March 2004 and end in March 2006, he said.

Granger said if the lawsuit prolongs the project much longer, building designs may need to be revised and/or reduced, or more money may need to be raised to finance the new building.

The bond firm, Ameritus Financial Corp., is not selling bonds pending the outcome of the lawsuit.

In the meantime, the R/TV board is operating as one district with multiple attendance sites.

At the meeting Monday evening, the board approved one budget for 2003-2004 with a fund and a tax levy to pay for bonds to construct the new building.

The board approved a $12,784,121 total budget for 2003-04, requesting taxes in the amount of $2,370,223.56 for the general fund; $535,300 for the bond fund; and $31,183.75 for a special building fund. The total personal and real property tax requirement for R/TV patrons (District 179) is $2,936,707.31.

The tax levy for District 129 will be $1.0593 for the general fund and $0.0140 for the special building fund. It also includes $0.2399 for the bond fund for District 179 (which is substituted with $0.0796 for patrons of the Fitch District 8 School District, which is affiliated for 9-12 grades with District 179). The total tax levy for District 179 patrons will be $1.3132.

Norvell said one way to evaluate this new budget is to compare its general fund requirement with previous general fund budgets of the former schools. Republican Valley's general fund last year was $2.7 million and Twin Valley's was $2.4 million, for a total of $5.1 million. The general fund total for the combined school is $4.6-7 million, Norvell said.

Norvell said some funds are actually lower than last year, and the new district has more in cash reserve ($700,000) than the two districts had previously.

Board members decided that in the spring, the new district will sport one track team and one golf team, rather than one track team and one golf team at each attendance center in Bartley and at Republican Valley.

Board members indicated informally they want one team in all other sports as well, which, McMurtrey, said has always been the new school's intent. "We intend to go with one team in 2004-05," McMurtrey said.

Twin Valley Superintendent Mark Norvell told board members and the 12-or-so members of the public, "There's no doubt we'll be C2," which means the new team will play 11-man football.

Norvell said the football field in Bartley will need improved lighting and seating if football is to be played in Bartley prior to the completion of the new school. McMurtrey said Republican Valley's contract with the City of Indianola for the use of the football field in Indianola needs to be discussed prior to the end of the year, when the contract automatically renews.

Norvell said if the two attendance centers decide to compete as one team, volleyball and basketball would be played in the gym at Republican Valley, which seats more spectators, until the new gym is done.

Other topics of concern are scheduling, officials, transportation and conference affiliation.

Students will vote on a mascot and a school name during an election Oct. 1.