MARION OFFICIALS STILL DECIDING HOW TO DEAL WITH BOND ELECTION

It will be at least another month until the Marion School Board decides how to proceed with the general bond election that voters rejected in a special election held Jan. 16.

Marion Superintendent Brian Brosnahan told The Courier on Tuesday that no decision was made at the school board’s regular monthly meeting held Monday night, Feb. 12. Rather, the board asked Brosnahan to consult with CO-OP Architecture about what a second bond election might look like and whether scaling the project back would be prudent.

“They want to make sure we have all the right information,” said Brosnahan, who is also concerned about making sure the public has all the facts should a second bond be presented to voters.

“We need to be strategic and ensure that misinformation is snuffed out,” he said.

The initial bond asked for $6.5 million in additional tax revenue to help fund an $11.6 million renovation to the existing campus — phases one and two of a three-phase project. A 60% supermajority was required for passage and drew the support of just 51.15% of voters.

Brosnahan said scaling the project back some, and therefore asking for less in additional tax revenue, was an option, but also comes with questions.

“Some of the discussion (at Monday’s meeting) was about lowering the bond and what that would look like,” he said. “But what would have to happen and how might that impact the scope and sequence of the project?”

While Brosnahan said he was comfortable with the process, he cautioned against reinventing the project too much.

“CO-OP Architecture brought us the vision we were looking for,” he said. “They were able to put together a plan that met the needs of what the community group put together, what the staff group put together, and the what the administrative group and board put together.”

Veering from that too much, he said, is a concern.

“We truly feel that what we’re doing is the right decision, not only for the kids, but for the district,” he said, noting that those who built the campus currently being used did so with the welfare of the school and community in mind. “Now it’s our time to step up and do the same thing.”

Brosnahan does not foresee a special meeting between now and the next regular meeting on March 11.

Should a second bond be put to voters, it would likely coincide with the June primary election, he said.