Majority votes against Floyd school bond

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Multiple projects Floyd school officials had in mind for bettering their district will no longer be a reality due to the results of a recent school bond election, according to Superintendent Damon Terry.

The county held a bond election for Floyd Municipal Schools on Feb. 2 to determine if taxes would be raised within Roosevelt County to pay for several improvements needed at the school district.

The verbiage of the bond was as follows:

Floyd schools will be authorized “to issue general obligation bonds of the district, in one series or more, in the aggregate principal amount not exceeding $1 million for the purpose of erecting, remodeling, making additions to and furnishing school buildings; purchasing or improving school grounds; purchasing computer software and hardware for student use …”

If passed, the bond was to increase Floyd school taxes from 2.471 percent (per $1,000) to 10 percent (per $1,000), an amount still lower than Portales schools’ 10.425 percent, according to Terry.

According to clerk records, 118 votes were cast in the election with 36 for the bond and 82 against.

“There’s always different opinions on why it failed, but I think it’s often people’s concern over the economy,” Terry said of the results of the election. “When you talk taxes, it’s often a dirty word anyway, then when you add the burden of the economy to that ...”

Terry said the school district was trying to obtain $1 million in funding from the bond to match state funds they were to receive to help with a number of school projects, such as moving the school’s playground and building a new kitchen.

“Based upon the feedback we’ve received over the years from community members, state officials and others, one of them (the projects) was our kitchen — They don’t believe it’s up to standard,” Terry said. “The other was our playground. We were wanting to move it around behind the school, so it’s not next to the highway.”

Terry said parents of students and Floyd residents have expressed concerns about the playground of the school being next to the highway as being a danger.

He said if the school had been able to accomplish moving the playground, they would have used its current location as a bus loading zone and parking lot, so for night time events, such as ball games and graduations, people were not having to park across the street and walk across the highway at night.

He said other projects for the school included fixing the parking lot, which is cracked and squishes at times when it’s wet and redesigning the front of the school to have better security.

Staff photo: Eamon Scarbrough

Relocating the playground at Floyd Municipal Schools was one of multiple projects the school district can no longer pursue due to the district’s school bond being voted against with an 82-36 vote on Feb. 2

Staff photo: Eamon Scarbrough

Relocating the playground at Floyd Municipal Schools was one of multiple projects the school district can no longer pursue due to the district’s school bond being voted against with an 82-36 vote on Feb. 2

“When you want to do something for the schools, it’s always disappointing when you don’t get it,” Terry said. “If we don’t have the money, we won’t be able to pursue those projects. Short term, that’s the answer. Long term, I don’t know what the answer is. It could be emergency funding.”