Why school bond issues fail
When it comes to school capital improvements, facing the voters can be a daunting challenge. All bond issues must be passed by the voters within the school district, so the most important factor in the bond’s success is community support. Across McCownGordon Construction’s offices, our K-12 Education Construction team handles 10-15 bond programs for schools each year. With this expertise, we know how to garner community support for bond issues.
The benefit we bring to the community while involved in bond programs is our ability to present ideas from the beginning on how to save money throughout the course of the project. We also are able to educate the public about the bond, without pushing it on them.
Better quality schools are an economic engine for a community. The schools are one of the top factors any family considers when they’re relocating, and it’s one businesses consider for their employees when they’re opening as well.
Get the community involved early
Community support is vital to the success of any school bond program. Community meetings, including town halls, meetings with HOAs, and even meetings with Chambers of Commerce will be important in garnering support for the bond issue. It doesn’t hurt to have a third party to survey the community. This is a great way to gather independent thoughts and opinions on what the community might support in terms of the value scope of the bond (ie, whether a tax increase could be supported or not). Third party surveys of this nature help lessen the impact of the “vocal minority” in any community and provide a clearer picture.
In the same way we recommend getting the needed partners engaged early in the timeline of a school bond issue, beginning to get the community involved early is also helpful.
Listen to the community’s concerns
Schools, especially in our close-knit Kansas and Missouri towns and cities, are tied together with their communities. School districts are major employers and are tasked with the important role of educating the community’s youth.
For a school bond issue to pass on the ballot, the district must listen to the community, get them engaged, and get their buy-in on the project. Think of it as a campaign, because that’s exactly what it is. You want them to vote yes on your school bond issue. If the community feels they’ve been heard and can see that the school district and their partners are taking action based on those conversations, they’re likely to vote in favor.
Let McCownGordon help
Our customer-focused mentality has always set us apart. Put us to work on your school bond project and we will outperform your highest expectations. We are dedicated to providing service with integrity and value the relationships we build along the way. Just take a look at work we’ve already done and imagine what we can do for you!
From passing information behind to scenes to face-to-face interactions with the community, we’ve got the expertise to gather support for school bond issues.
With three regional offices in Kansas City, Manhattan, and Wichita, we make it easy to get high quality construction management services in the Midwest. Call us at 888-304-4929 or use our free online quote tool to get started today.
