The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1935-06-27
School Board Urges Study of
Building Situation in Light of
Advantages to the District

district In regard to the school pro-
ject, we feel that the matter Of the
election is q toss-up at this time
and whichever way the election
turns will be due chiefly to the in
terest taken by interested parties.
We believe this proposition Is one
of such magnitude that every cit
izen in the community should feel
il his duty TO become thoroughly
acquainted with the proposition,
says a statement from the school
board, given out today.
The federal government is now
offering TO give as grants 45 per-
cent of the cost of construction pro-
iects, which never has to be re-
paid, leaving IL necessary for the
local people to raise SIS percent OF
the cost. When this opportunity pre-
sented itself the school admins
tration called together several rep
resentative citizens from the var
ious parts Of the district and asked
their opinion as TO the advisable
action to take. After lengthy dis
cussion a motion was passed fav-
oring submitting plan to raise
local funds, to vote Of the peo-
pie The feeling was that the peo-
pie themselves should have a chance
to decide on such an opportunity.
More Room Needed
We believe most of the patrons
know that there is real need for q
new school and more building
space. This coming term will re-
AxrVl IL NFT
be removed from the present build
ings, to be placed in whatever
available space that can be rented.
With such problems at hand should
we try and raise the local funds and
gain the federal grant Of between
As and so thousands of dollars, or
should we pass it by and find It
necessary in the near future 70 do
the work and pay 100 percent To-
cally. This proposition should be
the one most discussed by you and
in churches, groups, clubs and
lodges, as IL is an issue that will
have bearing on this community
for q long time, and it would be
well worth your while TO have q.
| thorough knowledge OF Il before
Il CttoIAIlk gOuI u
This brings us to the question OF
raising local funds and at present
VIC have two avenues for doing such.
They are, bonds and special levy.
The most common means for rails
ING local funds In the past has been
by the bond method. but at the last
general election In which initiative
"a passed, the bond market was
practically eliminated. The SUI
preme Court held funds for bond
redemption principal and interest,"
must be carried In the current 10
mill levy by school districts for gem
eral purposes, and we now have an
opinion from the Attorney General
that bonds would have no priority
over school purposes, SO II school
purposes dema.lde the full amount
bonoholders would be holding q
slip Of paper. This being the case
neither The federal, state or private
investors will bid on bonds, elm
mating that avenue at this time.
Pay in One Year
Then II we turn TO the oSher ave-
n1e, that Of raising the full amount
by a special levy placed on the dis
trict tor the full amunt in one year.
which would be approximately q
40-mill levy. This presents itself as
a real challenge to the community,
hut when we consider that TO the
average person in the community
1t means approximately $500 adj
oitional taxes and that amount
would pay for the whole project In
one year. Let us suppose the aver
age man could not meet this all IN
one year. Supposing he paid half
in a two-year period, should we
vote at this time. the levy would be
placed on the rolls In October. first
half payable In March 1886, and the
last half in November 1896, and In
terest on delinquency would not be-
gin until December 1896. So AZ he
paid half In 1896 and half In 1897,
ne would have an interest rate on
the last half Of his taxes Of 10 ner-
cent for approximately six months,
BY making his payments I'm two I'M
installments, and in this way we
would pay back approximately
100 percent Of the money borrowed.
and by the bond method which
would be an easier method OF pay
ments over a period Of twenty years
we would actually pay back 1853
percent.
Should we taake advantage OF e
while we can get such large fed
eral grant and satisfy our needs
and bring the expenditure OF such
sum into our community IN the
form Of labor and material? Around
S48,0O0.00 alone would be spent in
labor In our community during the
coming winter. Under PWA con-
tracts It would be necessary TO ex-
hauSt qualified labor in the dis
trict before we could reach ont
side for the same.
\ Junior High
The project includes a ilinior-
senior high school organization and
the elimination OF the washington
building for school purposes. "A iun-
Tor high school which would be IN
one side Of the building, would in
clude grades seven, eight and nine.
The senior high school, which would
occupy the other side OF the build-
Ing would include grades Ter.
eleven and. twelve, with the common
departments for the two units be-