On Aug. 28 voters in the Cd'A School District 271 service area will vote to determine the future of a $32.7 million school bond being offered in support of district facilities in serious need of heavy maintenance, updating and/or rebuilding. The plan was developed by the district's Long Range Planning Committee in conjunction with the school district's Board of Trustees after assessing the district's facilities for the most pressing needs.

First, who is the Long Range Planning Committee? They are district staff, principals and community citizens who come together to act as a district committee providing advice to the school district Board of Trustees on facility needs from the consumer perspective. They are people of the community who care about our public education system, putting their time and effort into helping to better the educational outcomes of our community's children.

Second, what is the proposed work to be accomplished if this school bond passes?

Buildings: Five schools will undergo significant structural updating, internal office reorienting in some cases, new mechanical equipment to replace aged heating systems that are rated - in at least one case - as "60 percent efficient"; safety and security updates to keep children safe entering and exiting the schools; and internalize into buildings, classrooms currently housed in "portables." These remote trailer classrooms are separate from the established school building structure and have long exceeded their life expectancy. Our aged portables have problems with air exchange, heat, cold and safety of staff and students. Safety of student movement from our portables to the school building across an active, heavily trafficked parking lot is a principal, teacher and parent's greatest worry. For sure, it is a risk manager's nightmare. The proposed upgrades and removal of classroom portables in the bond will remove this concern.

District-wide: HVAC (heating and ventilation) systems upgrades will be addressed at Coeur d'Alene and Lake City High Schools, Hayden Meadows and Fernan Elementary Schools and the Hayden Kinder Center.

Technology upgrades will occur across the district. Non-renovated schools will either have upgrades or installation of voice/data network, video surveillance security systems wiring and wireless technology.

A school construction bond acts like a home mortgage for the school district. It has a principal and interest payment and, in this case, repayment is spread over 13 years. Another funding mechanism used to support buildings is a School Plant Facility (SPFL) which is a simple levy over a similar time frame. Of the two ways, the School Bond we are proposing is the most homeowner and community friendly.

For the community, it's about jobs and putting an economic infusion of $32.7 million dollars into circulation relatively quickly. For the homeowner, the cost is spread over 13 years. The district seeks to lock in (within the bond market) the current $.42 per $1,000 of assessed property value. We can maintain this current tax rate because both the Lake City High School Bond and KTEC School Plant Facilities Levy are expiring this year.

This is a great time to borrow money and sell bonds. We are anticipating the unprecedented low interest rate of 2.6 percent. Recently, municipal bonds interest rates have been even lower, therefore, it may be possible to 'price' our Bond between a 2.0 and 2.4 percent rate based on current market conditions. Additionally, because the district will have no capital indebtedness; when the SD 271 School Bond package is offered, it should move quickly to investor portfolios.

The district's plan will be to market the bond within weeks of the Aug. 28 school bond passage to take advantage of a very favorable current financial market.

A final thought: These projects will have a positive economic impact in the local Coeur d'Alene marketplace. The economics of construction projects is a dollar spent directly on the project is spent seven more times in the local community before it leaves town. That's a total of $228-plus million dollars spent locally ... it means jobs, livings and positive happenings in our community. Aug. 28 is an important date ... for the district AND for the community.

Wendell Wardell is chief operating officer for the Coeur d'Alene School District.