I did not vote for Proposition 3A to increase the mill levy to fund improvements within the Mancos School District. I’m not opposed to students receiving a good education, but I am opposed to continuing to put the cost of education only on the property owners in the district.
I am confused on how this proposition could be put on the ballot when the cost of, and even the design of, the proposed improvements are nothing more than someone’s good ideas? The latest article in The Journal says that only now after the passage of the proposition will the school district bring on someone to begin the design process, and then they will put the “plans” out for bid to determine the cost.
Superintendent Brian Hanson’s quote notwithstanding – “He emphasized that the exact cost of the project has not been determined yet, so it could end up costing less than the $25 million the district has set aside” – all you must do is look at the school project in Cortez to see what happens when you put cost to a project that does not have any real design information.
The process that has been used by the Mancos School District is the reverse of basic logic. The approval for a sum of money before any design work or costs estimates are established is just wrong, and in my opinion, leads to the potential for cost overruns and a reduction in the planned improvements.
Dick Simmons
Mancos
