Houston Schools is hosting an open house from 5-7 p.m. Thursday in the high school library. Representatives from the architect and financial firms will be on hand to answer questions about the upcoming $4 million bond issue.
Voters will go to the polls Tuesday to decide contested races for cities, townships and school boards. Patrons of the Houston School District will decide the bond issue for improvements.
The issue at Houston does not require an increase in the levy. Instead, it will extend the current levy. It includes construction of a new library for the high school and middle school, joining the two buildings to provide better security, improvements to the cafeteria used by both, installation of air conditioning for Hiett Gymnasium and roof repairs and other maintenance.
“This is common sense,” Houston Superintendent Scott Dill said. “This project is all about things the district needs now, will need in the future and has needed for a long time.
“If the roofs leak, you’ve got to fix them. If the cafeteria is too small, it needs to be bigger. If the library doesn’t hold enough students, it needs to be bigger. If you can’t get students to the second floor of a building by the stairs, you probably need an elevator. Every aspect of this project is based on a common sense approach, and we’ve tried to sell it that way to the community.”
Since the school board announced its intentions to present the bond issue, Dill has spent many nights visiting with groups across the district’s borders. He has met with ranchers, teachers, farmers, political groups and alumni. He said Wednesday –– a meeting with the Red Hat Society at Hillbilly Junction in Willow Springs –– was his last scheduled discussion.
“I have gone anywhere and everywhere they would have me,” Dill said. “I’ve spoken to groups of two and three as well as groups of 70 and 80.”
And the response?
“It has been overwhelming positive,” Dill said. “Most of the negatives I’ve encountered have been based on misinformation. The only way to correct that was to provide factual information.”
Dill said promoting the bond issue and sharing information about the school district has been the most exciting time of his tenure as superintendent. He is looking forward to the opportunity of beginning construction of what he said are much-needed projects at the school.
“If we haven’t presented the right project or presented the proper information, the voters will let us know that next Tuesday,” he said.