Decorah School Board receives citizen petition calling for bond referendum

The Decorah School Board has received a petition from a citizens group asking to hold a bond referendum to raise money for renovations to Decorah High School.

The petition--with 223 signatures--was presented to the board at 5:00 p.m. Monday by Decorah Shareholders co-chair Jeff Olinger.  He told the school board the petitions were the culmination of a process that started in September of 2008.

School officials have detailed a $19.5 million plan to renovate and expand Decorah High School and renovate John Cline School.  $10.4 million of the cost would be raised through the bonding, with all of the proceeds designated for projects at Decorah High School.  Another $9.1 million would come from a renewal of the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL) and from the school local option tax.  Those funds could be spent on either high school or John Cline projects.

School board president Mona Nelson said the election was necessary because "it's our responsibility to make sure our buildings are well-maintained."  She pointed out that only around half of the money for the renovation projects would be raised through property taxes that would pay for the bond issue.

School board members are talking about holding a bond referendum on September 14th.  However, they were prohibited by state law from acting on the petition on Monday night.  Instead they have scheduled another special meeting for 5:00 p.m. this Thursday to officially make a request for an election.