Given the rules and limitations of funding enhancement projects, the options for paying for building projects in New Prague School District facilities are limited should the school board ultimately favor moving forward with a recommendation.
At a time when the New Prague School District is considering its needs to be funded via an operating levy, significant building projects may need to be funded via some form of bond. In its third meeting, the 2025 New Prague School District Facilities Task Force met Thursday, Feb. 13, and reviewed task force members’ thoughts on building tours from the previous week and heard information on funding possible improvements should the group decide to recommend projects to the school board. The group is scheduled to meet again Thursday, Feb. 27, 6 p.m., at the district office to review prioritization of possible projects and look at an analysis of facility options. The task force’s final meeting, if needed, is scheduled for Thursday, March 6.
Lori Volz of Baker Tilly, the district’s financial advisor, explained the options the task force can consider. Among the tools available to the school board are a voter-approved bond that would increase property taxes. The school board could also issue a bond without voter approval, a capital facilities bond and repay it with existing operating capital aid without increasing property taxes or deplete funds used to pay for education, said Brian Fell, the district’s director of Business Services. The board could also issue without voter approval a long-term facilities maintenance bond, he said. Using operating capital aid to pay for a capital facilities bond also applies to using long-term facilities maintenance aid to pay for the long term facilities maintenance bond. Fell said both the capital facilities bond and the long term facilities bond use existing aid to pay for the bond.
The district receives about $1.5 million in long-term facilities maintenance money (LTFM) annually from the state. About onethird of that allotment goes to paying for a facilities maintenance bond the district issued in 2018. The remaining $1 million, though significant, doesn’t go far when addressing the long-term needs of district buildings, said Andy Vollmuth, the district’s superintendent. Vollmuth said the board will likely be discussing its financial position and potential options related to an operating levy and paying for possible facilities enhancements yet this winter.
“At some point, the board’s going to have to weigh-in on this,” Vollmuth said, adding the district’s staff has...
To see more on this story pick up the February 20, 2025 print edition of The New Prague Times.
Funding school facilities improvements will be a challenge
