One week from today (Tuesday), residents in the IKM-Manning Community School District will head to the polls to decide whether or not the school will be able to allocate up to $19.95 million in General Obligation (GO) bonds for updates and additions to the Irwin and Manning locations. Recent community informational meetings have brought what organizers are calling thoughtful questions about the district’s needs and the proposed solutions. The latest meeting was held last week at the Manning High School auditorium and talk turned to the tax rate and the changes that come with referendum approval. The bond committee says of the 327 public school districts in the state, only 15 have a lower tax rate than IKM-Manning and an approved bond would carry a $9.88 per month increase on a home at $100,000. In addition to those rates, points were also raised on the historically low interest rates being seen at this time. These low rates will significantly reduce the total cost of proposed projects. The board and administration say they are grateful to have the opportunity to discuss the upcoming referendum with community members. “As a district and board, we have been very frugal with the use of taxpayer dollars in our schools over the years,” says Superintendent, Trevor Miller. “However, the time has come to address the facility needs in our schools so that we can ensure our students continue to have access to exceptional educational opportunities.” Next Tuesday, Sept. 14 is election night, but early voting is open now and can be done at the Auditor’s Offices in Carroll, Audubon, Crawford and Shelby Counties. More information about the proposed projects can be found at www.ikmmanningbond.org.