The Francis Howell School District (FHSD) has previously asked the community for more money by putting a tax levy proposition on the ballot. It has failed each time so the Board of Education is thinking of doing a different approach; a ‘No Tax Increase Bond’. Currently they are looking towards the community to see if this new option would pass if it’s put on the ballot.

“Thus far, the reaction has been very positive because we have explained what we’re looking at and why,” Patrick Lane, treasurer on the Board of Education said. “We have had some negative responses, but we feel like we’ve answered most of those questions.”

A ‘No Tax Increase Bond’ is similar to a loan. The bond will allow the district to receive how much they asked for at small increments throughout several years. That will allow them to pay it off at a slower rate, and keep tax rates the same.

“If you don’t act on things now and you wait the costs are going to go up and it will be more expensive at a later date,” Chuck Dale-Derks, a parent in the district, said. “Then we put the district at risk of having a facility that has an emergency need.”

The district allowed architects to walk around all the buildings in FHSD and assess the repairs that are needed at each one and roughly how much it would cost. This showed some concerns for a couple buildings and how much longer they can last without repairs.

“We need to upgrade our facilities,” Janet Stiglich, a Director on the Board of Education, said. “We need to for the safety of all of our buildings, for the safety of our kids to bring some of our facilities into the 21st century [and] to make sure that we have a creative learning environment for all.”