May 30—WALHALLA, N.D. — A school district in northern North Dakota is looking toward a mill increase vote with the goal to relieve pressure on its general fund to pay for building maintenance and a 20-year bond payment for previous renovations.
North Border School District Superintendent Seth Engelstad said the increase will not only assist the district in maintaining its buildings, but also act as an incentive for future employees in the competition to hire school staff in a teacher shortage.
“Just trying to stay competitive in a market that’s very tight right now,” he said. “There’s a shortage of teachers — there’s a shortage of pretty much most positions.”
The district will hold the vote Thursday, June 5, at its schools in Pembina and Walhalla. Both schools, as well as a bus barn in Walhalla and a gym in Neche, are buildings the school maintains. The Walhalla school was the subject of a renovation project around 2015, Engelstad said, and the district is halfway through paying a 20-year bond for the work. The vote is for an increase of up to five additional mills, which could raise the current five mills to 10 for the district. A similar vote was conducted last year, but was about 6% to 8% short of the 60% majority needed to pass.
However, there was still a majority who voted in favor of the increase, said Engelstad, which has given him hope for the June 5 vote.
“We didn’t miss it by much,” he said. “A majority of our community does stand behind us, which is very good to hear and good to see, and we just need that last little bit just to get over the hump and reach that 60% threshold to get this to pass.”
Part of the reason for the vote is how inflationary costs over the past several years have made maintenance more expensive. In a message written to the school district’s community, Engelstad said the rising expenses have put a strain on the school’s budget and outpaced the district’s revenue. More than $150,000 have been shifted annually from the district’s general fund to cover regular maintenance and the 2015 project payments.
“It’s just not financially sound doing that for the next 10 years and trying to maintain the level that we need, just being competitive with staffing, with paying our teachers what they need to be paid, custodians, cooks, you name it,” Engelstad said. “Just trying to meet all those needs, we definitely need a little help from the community in keeping our school going.”
Aside from the funding trouble for maintenance, the North Border students are doing well, Engelstad said. North Border School District has scored about 20% higher than average on state testing scores in North Dakota, and Engelstad believes the district has great schools, teachers, parents and community that he wants to maintain.