JACKSONVILLE —

The Jacksonville Independent School District Board of Trustees may call a bond election for $49,865,000. Superintendent Dr. Joe Wardell said this could mean a tax rate increase in the area of 19 cents above the current nine cent interest and sinking rate, which Wardell said was on the lower end of the I&S tax spectrum.

“Each bond is in $5,000 increments,” Wardell said. “If it’s (the bond issue) passed we will turn around and sell them.”

He added the board will meet Aug. 17 at 5 p.m. to make the decision of whether or not to call a bond election. The meeting will be in the school administration building’s board room.

“We’re asking tax payers to borrow money,” Wardell said. “It’s the only way to do significant projects.”

Wardell said with bonds the money is borrowed for construction projects to be completed and bonds are sold to investors. He estimated it would take between 14 and 16 months from voter approval on a bond election to see completed facilities.

Claycomb Associates Executive Vice President Kevin Smith spoke to the board Tuesday evening at a specially called meeting to inform them of what facilities improvements would cost.

“There are two new elementary schools,” Smith said. “This will cost $33,373,024.”

He added renovations at Fred Douglass for items such as a new food service area and new classrooms would cost $4.5 million. He also highlighted high school renovations such as an enclosed corridor between campus buildings, which he said would cost just under $12 million.

“These are preliminary numbers,” Smith said.

To pay for these improvements, taxes would need to rise, said Southwest Securities Senior Vice President Douglas Whitt. He gave examples of how a home owner with a home valued at $87,681 would see an increase of $11.51 per month with a 19 cent tax increase, but said any numbers were purely for discussion purposes.

“There’s all kinds of excuses of why to not vote for the kids,” Whitt said. “I simply don’t buy them.”

Whitt said there are several good reasons to go ahead with a bond election, citing low interest and stable construction rates.

“The so-called slow economy is actually a benefit to the district,” Whitt said.

He added if the school has a bond election in November bonds would be sold by January or February of 2011.

“Six months after you pass the bonds we can have the payment,” Whitt said. “It’s not a question of if you’re going to receive the funding, it’s a question of when.”

He also said any bond election would have to be called on or before August 24 for it to appear in the November ballot.

Whitt told the board about two methods, one being Instructional Facilities Allotment and the other being Existing Debt Allotment.

“EDA is the larger program,” Whitt said. He added it benefits existing bonds.

Claycomb Associates Director of Public Relations Dixie Parris told the board about the benefits of a political action committee, which she said could be formed very soon after a bond election is called.

“Unfortunately, the most likely people to vote for a school bond election are the people least likely to be registered to vote,” Parris said.

She added the school would need to make sure and get the word out to maximize the amount of people voting.

“They can’t help you if they aren’t registered,” she also said.

Board Member Joe Casey said he appreciates the advice and assistance of these groups.

“With three attempts to pass a bond, we need the help of those who know how to pass a bond election,” Casey said.