An overview of the proposed no-tax-increase bond

In November, we will be asking Springfield parents and voters to help us take another important step forward by approving a $50 million investment in our schools to create quality learning environments for all students without raising the current tax rate. This no-tax-increase bond will fund air conditioning, construction & improvements and technology.

Here's a short breakdown of the proposed projects included as part of this no-tax-increase bond issue:

• Air conditioning - SPS will fulfill its pledge to air condition every school in the district with this bond. Plans call for air conditioning to be installed at Boyd, Robberson, Rountree, Sunshine, and York elementary schools; Jarrett and Reed middle schools; Phelps Center for Gifted Education; and the district’s Tefft Center. This fulfills a promise made a decade ago to achieve equity in the quality of learning environments available to students in every part of our community.
• Construction & Improvements - Essential construction and improvement projects will take place at Hillcrest, Glendale and Kickapoo high schools; Westport and Jefferies elementary schools; and we will use bond funds to retire lease participation agreements being used in the construction of the new Hickory Hills School.
• Technology - Every classroom in the district will be equipped with an LCD projector and interactive whiteboard, and aging student computers will be replaced with more efficient workstations.

Passing a no-tax-increase bond issue now maximizes resources. It allows the district to leverage federal stimulus money to access between $5 million to $7 million in interest-free bonds available for a small window of time through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This will save Springfield taxpayers millions in interest. Those interest-free bonds along with the district’s current bonding capacity and available debt service funds – available because of our good stewardship of public resources – enable us to request a $50 million bond without having to increase the current tax rate.

I encourage you to read detailed plans for each project on our web site. I'm truly excited about the opportunity this no-tax-increase bond offers our schools and our community.