A grassroots effort to get a bond issue on the ballot rather than leaving the decision to the NCOE school board has cleared a hurdle. Emily Bolin, the driving force behind the effort, turned in the petitions with almost 350 signatures Thursday afternoon. The petitions will take the decision out of the school boards hands. Members had indicated their intention to sell bonds not to exceed $3.2 million for working cash. The school board held a public hearing on the matter December 18th laying out plans and reasoning for the action.
Read more at https://www.wrul.com/local-news/ncoe-school-district-hears-concerns-over-hour-and-twenty-minute-public-hearing
Matt McArthy, who sits on the school board, confirmed Friday morning that the petition with the required signatures has been received and will get the question placed on the April 1, 2025 ballot. He maintains the proposed bonds would be used to improve the safety and security of students and improve NCOE School District buildings.
So what changes? We asked whether this action would change the timeline or funding for any projects the district has planned but haven’t received an explicit answer on that front. Board member Joe Lane has been through all this before, but not quite like this. It’s his fourth bond issue, but the first time since joining the board the public has taken the decision out of the school board’s hands.
We also don’t know just yet how the question will be posed on the ballot. Oftentimes, the way ballot questions are worded can be confusing to voters. Bolin, rather than issuing a statement, simply wanted to thank all the signees and supporters along with everyone who helped in petitioning to meet their goal.
