Three area school districts are asking voters to make Election Day decisions about bond issue proposals.
In Franklin County, Ottawa school officials are promoting a bond proposal worth $25.9 million. Voters in the Tonganoxie school district, which is in Leavenworth County, will consider a $25.3 million bond issue.
And the Perry-Lecompton school district, which is mainly in Jefferson County, is asking people to vote "yes" for a $9.9 million bond issue.
"Typically, bond issues are hard to pass," sid Greg Howard, Perry-Lecompton school board president. But Howard said he was feeling optimistic.
Proposed school bonds aren't the only questions on area ballots for Tuesday's election.
In Franklin County, voters also are being asked to decide whether there should be a county administrator.
Voters in Richmond will mark "yes" or "no" on a proposed quarter-cent sales tax increase.
Valley Falls voters will consider whether a charter ordinance should be passed that would exempt the city from the Kansas Liquor Act and allow stores to sell liquor on Sundays.
In Perry-Lecompton, this is the third bond issue to be proposed since 1998. The last two bonds failed.
In November 1998, voters in the district said no, 946-817, to a proposed $9.1 million bond issue for a new middle school and improvements to existing schools. District officials were dealt another defeat in April 1999 when a $14.86 million bond proposal was shot down; 83.4 percent of the votes cast were against it.
Voter GuideHoward and other supporters, such as Wayne Ledbetter, are hoping their luck changes this time.
"I've been in this district for 28 years, and this is the fifth bond proposal I've seen," Ledbetter said. "Without a doubt, voters are better informed and more prepared to vote on this bond issue compared to past ones."
Proponents of the bond issue held forums and sent out an information guide about the bond proposal to voters.
The forums have had decent attendance, Howard and Ledbetter said. Few people have turned out in opposition, and they said they didn't know of any active opposition to the bond proposal; that's unusual.
"The history in this district is when people have been opposed, they come out and express it loudly," Ledbetter said. "We haven't heard that."
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