Variables abound in winning voter approval of a financing proposal.
Members of the Jefferson City Board of Education juggled some of those variables during a discussion last week. The discussion is not new.
In an effort to alleviate overcrowding, the board asked voters in April 2013 to approve a $79 million bond issue to build a new high school and new elementary school. The issue failed.
Since that time, a facilities review panel has made recommendations and a poll of district patrons has been conducted. After reviewing poll results, the board decided earlier this year not to place a facilities proposal on the April ballot.
But the overcrowding issue remains, as does the process of exploring solutions.
Let's look at some of the variables under consideration.
• Facilities: Board members are leaning toward proposals for two public high schools - a new one and renovation of the existing one - and an elementary school.
• Construction costs: A proposal for two high schools obviously will be more expensive than the previous single high school issue. Also under consideration are the costs of waiting, in terms of anticipated increases in both construction and financing costs.
• Scope of ballot issue: Board members also must decide whether to combine the elementary and high schools as a single ballot issue or separate them. If they are separated, the board also must decide which will be proposed first.
• Financing options: A bond issue or a lease-purchase agreement are among the options, but the winning margins differ among elections.
• Election timing: A lease-purchase proposal requires a simple majority for approval, but passage of a bond issue would require a two-thirds majority in November 2015, in contrast to a four-sevenths majority in April, August or November 2016.
Each of these variables is complicated and many are connected.
In addition, factors that will come into play are voter confidence in the schools, whether voters are receptive to an information campaign and whether they have an individual connection to public education.
The more variables board members choose correctly, the greater the odds of winning approval at the ballot box. But choosing correctly is an inexact science.
This is an area where district parents and patrons can help by keeping an open mind and listening to the rationale favoring and opposing each variable. They must then tell the district what they will and won't support and, more importantly, why.
When confronted with multiple variables, the best decisions rely on the best available information.