Residents urge caution over large capital cost and staff changes as board hears public comment

Several members of the public used the meeting’s comment period to press the board on staffing decisions and a possible multimillion‑dollar capital program. Speakers said the district should be cautious about adding or duplicating administrative positions and called for taxpayer input on major borrowing.

One resident asked whether the HR position would remain if an assistant superintendent is added and said: “I almost fell off my chair when I read... $70,000,000 bond for 20 years… how much is that gonna cost the average taxpayer?” A former board member and current council president, Veil Behnies, urged the board to table the motion and raised accountability concerns about prior curriculum work; he told the board the bond would “add, $600 a year to the average taxpayer every year for 20 years,” and urged full public consideration.

Board members and administration responded that public comment was appreciated but that specific personnel details would be handled in executive session when appropriate. Finance staff later presented a different, preliminary estimate of the average tax impact (about $275 per year based on district rateables) and emphasized that the precise number will depend on state aid letters and final project costing. The exchange left differences in estimated individual tax impact on the record and highlighted taxpayer concern as a central feature of the capital financing debate.