🏈Come support our Charger Football team as they take
on the Cyclones in the Bi-District playoffs🏈All support
is greatly appreciated.🏈Go Big Green🏈705 Jessie Street. Wathena🏈
Mr. Courtney will be selling Junior class fundraiser candy bars at the middle school basketball gate tonight. Please purchase some and help support the Junior class.
Congrats to the following winners for October's art challenge, "lyrics"! 1st place: Essie Funk, 2nd place: Samantha Slifer, 3rd place: Izzy LeGrand. Thanks to James, one of our custodians, for judging for the month of October and for all those who participated!
Bond Question of the Day - CMAR and Architect -
Question: Is it true the district already has hired an architect and construction manager at-risk for this bond project? Isn’t that a premature? What if the bond doesn’t pass?
Answer: Yes, the district has hired JGR Architects and DCS Services. Both of these firms provide the services necessary to have the accurate cost estimates needed to place the bond on the ballot. The district must ensure the bond amount will cover the projects that have been promised to the public without overestimating the amount needed by more than a small contingency for unforeseen construction issues. Both JGR and DCS have provided these pre-bond services free of charge. The district owes them nothing unless the bond passes and their work progresses to the design and construction phases. After bond passage, the architect will turn the preliminary designs and sketches into construction blueprints, and DCS Servies will bid out and supervise the construction work to ensure the district gets the best quality at the lowest possible price.
A secure entrance is essential for schools as it serves as the first line of defense in protecting students, staff, and visitors. It helps control and monitor access to the building, ensuring that only authorized individuals can enter. This setup deters potential threats, limits unauthorized access, and enhances the overall safety of the school environment. Secure entrances also provide peace of mind for parents, staff, and students, fostering a safer, more focused learning atmosphere by reducing risks and disruptions.
Bond Question of the Day - Future Bonds -
Question: Are there plans for more bonds to come after this one?
This is a thirty-year bond, and we do not plan to bring another bond before the voters until this new bond is paid off. Even after this bond is paid off, there are no plans for another bond. The district paid the last bond off 4 years early, saving taxpayers $186,000 in interest. We plan to pay this bond off early as well. Our board feels that setting the bond up for a longer term gives the district greater flexibility to adjust mill rates over the long-term to keep the mill rate more stable.
Watch this short video on the district's great stewardship of taxpayers' money to ensure quality education and the lasting legacy of JCN. Go Chargers!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uAZGFwFlNV3i7pgUGndYRm-s0tWJ8suy/view?usp=drive_link
The November Board of Education meeting has been moved to November 4 @ 7:00 pm due to Veteran's Day on the regular meeting date.
Bond Question of the Day - Mill Rate -
Question: How does USD 339’s mill rate compare to other districts in Kansas?
Answer: The total mill rate for all district funds is 47.755 mills. In 2023-24, the state average mill rate for school districts was 51.944 mills. USD 339 ranked 72nd lowest total school mill levy of the 286 school districts. If the bond passes, the additional 6.5 mills for bond and interest would move the district higher in the mill rate rankings. It is difficult to predict exactly where we would fall in the rankings due to other districts rates also increasing if they pass bonds; however, our ranking would likely be slightly above the mid-point of the 286 district mill rate rankings if our bond passes.
The bond projects focus on safety in having all students under one roof. The additions will allow an Ag classroom to be added to the high school to improve student learning opportunities. There would be no student transitions across the parking lot.
Bond Question of the Day - Out-of-District Enrollment
Question: How many students from out-of-district attend the district, and do they pay taxes to support our schools?
Answer: USD 339 has 115 out-of-district students that attend K-12. This represents 25% of our student population. The taxes to operate the schools are collected statewide and then redistributed to schools based on a per-pupil formula. In this way, the district receives the same funding from out-of-district students as our in-district students to aid in the operation of our schools. The additional revenue from out-of-district students helps maintain staff and teacher salaries at higher levels and pays for the general costs of education services. However, out-of-district families pay property taxes in their home district, not ours. Likewise, families living in USD 339 and their students go to another school district pay their property taxes in our district. The bond and interest taxes levied stay in the local school district and are not redistributed through any enrollment formula.
The bond election is just eight days away, although many have already submitted ballots through early voting. Here is the list of projects and funding devoted to each project area. Ensure you exercise your right to vote on November 5th.
Come see us tonight at parent-teacher conferences in Nortonville for our new designs and apparel!
Reminder:
All parent teacher conferences for the EMS and the high school will be held at the EMS.
Conferences are from 4-7:30pm on Monday and 8am-3pm on Tuesday.
Thank you.
This is a friendly reminder for seniors and their parents that Benedictine College will be present at the parent-teacher conferences on October 28th from 6-7 PM, located at the Elementary School. They will be available to answer any questions regarding FAFSA. We strongly encourage all seniors and parents to attend, as Benedictine College will provide essential information to assist you in completing your FAFSA.
The JCNHS scholars bowl team had a successful night at our home meet Thursday evening. JV placed 1st and Varsity finished in 3rd place! Congratulations to all that participated.
The team would also like to thank all of the people who helped out at the meet, we appreciate it!
Today the JCN Cross Country team traveled to Central Heights High School for their regional meet in order to try to qualify for state. The boys team finished 3rd overall, securing a chute on the starting line at Wamego next Saturday. Lucas Meredith placed 7th overall, followed by Max Kane, Scott Roloff, Lane Edmonds, Riley Burk, Caliber Beecham, and JD Cutshall. Everyone competed very well, with nearly everyone running a PR, making it possible for the boys to qualify. Thank you to all who made the journey out to watch our athletes compete today. STATE SHIRTS https://forms.gle/csskv4Nd8iVfTBja9
Bond Question of the Day - Grants vs Bonds:
Question: Why doesn't the district write a grant to pay for these projects?
Answer: Grants can be helpful in certain situations, but they come with many limitations and challenges. Grants almost always require matching funds, meaning the district must have the funds itself to pay for 50 to 75 percent of the project. Second, grants are very specific in the type of project or activities they will fund. Grants rarely cover maintenance items, like roofs or equipment replacement. On the rare occasion that a grant will fund such a project, there are usually strings attached. Those strings may be design and equipment requirements that can more than double the price of a project, making it more affordable to complete the project without the grant funds. Other challenges with grants include that school districts themselves are not always eligible to apply, or the district may be required to have very specific partnerships in place in order to qualify. Community size, location, demographics, and even the type of business and industry in the area can be a factor in meeting the grant criteria.
Grant funds of any significant size are always highly competitive; grants are only awarded to the grantees that are the very best fit for all the criteria stated in the grant. If the district is lacking in any stated criteria, we have little chance of obtaining grant funding. It takes many man-hours to write a grant, and there is no guarantee of obtaining funding; therefore, the district only pursues grants that make sense and that we would have a high probability of actually obtaining. Grants also have a very long lead time, sometimes taking more than a year to get requirements to qualify in place, then writing and submitting the grant, and then awaiting word on the outcome. The district does keep an eye out for grant funding opportunities and pursues them when doing so makes sense.
The bond addresses ADA accessibility and security at the EMS and high school. Both schools will receive a secure entry vestibule to ensure visitors check into the office. ADA projects will provide a new entry ramp and accessibility to our football stadium.
At the high school, we are having guest speakers come and talk with our students about their careers. We welcomed James Tweed and Brett Edwards this month!
