HENDERSON – The majority of patrons in the Heartland School District said yes to both proposed bond issues, which will result in the renovation of their school and an addition to provide community daycare as well as early childhood education opportunities.
The first question voters had to answer was in regards to a $5,690,000 bond issue that will finance securing the front entrance of the school; creating four new classrooms to provide space for changes in teaching strategies and increasing enrollment; the creation of new lockers rooms, ADA accessible weight room (which would be open to the public as well) and activities entrance, and connecting the shop to the main building; and air conditioning and bleacher replacement in the north gym.
A total of 531 Heartland patrons voted yes for this bond issue, while 320 voted against. In York County, 464 patrons voted in favor, as did 67 in Hamilton County.
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The second was in regards to a $1,370,000 bond issue that would finance expanding the preschool program; the creation of a community-operated daycare facility; the creation of an infant room; the creation of a toddler room; the offering of before and after school care; the creation of a physical connection to the current school building; and the ability to provide early childhood ESCI services.
A total of 516 Heartland patrons voted yes for this bond issue, while 330 voted against. In York County, 447 voted in favor, as did 69 in Hamilton County.
Now that both issues have passed, the result will be $7,060,000 over 20 years, which equates to an additional $6.09 a month in taxes for a person who owns a $100,000 home or business (as an example) and an additional $3.65 per acre (of farm land, using a value of $10,000 an acre as an example).
It was also noted that LB2 took effect on Jan. 1, 2022, which states that when repaying school bonds, agricultural and horticultural land is valued at 50% of its actual value. Prior to the passage of that bill, agricultural and horticultural land was valued at 75% of its actual value.
The last time the Heartland School District passed a bond issue was 40 years ago, when they built the north gym, locker rooms and the theater.
Prior to the election, proponents of the bond issue said, “The tax levy for the Heartland School District is considerably lower than surrounding school districts. Even with the additional 7.3-cent levy, if the bond issue is approved, our total levy would be just over 61 cents, still the lowest in the region by nearly 12 cents.”
The daycare/early childhood education component was promoted after longtime surveys in the district indicated childcare has been one of the primary requests from the community. Many taking the surveys said childcare was a desperate need in that community, so employers can hire young parents, young families will want to live in the area and those who are already there will stay – thereby growing the community as a whole.