Update from Mr. Miller on SAVE bond
March 8, 2023
IKM-Manning Parents & Community Members:
I can't express how happy I am to share that
yesterday our IKM-Manning voters approved the $7.9 million SAVE bond with 71%
voting yes. Although the results of the bond referendum will remain unofficial
until canvassed by the respective county boards of supervisors and approved by
the Shelby County Board of Supervisors, I believe we are moving forward.
This is a win for our kids and the future of education here at IKM-Manning.
I'm thankful that we had a good turnout and you showed
your support for our district by voting. I'm grateful
for the many volunteers who helped educate voters about our needs and
encouraged everyone to get out and vote. I'm very
proud of our school board for their persistence in finding a solution that the
majority of our constituents can support. I'm also
especially thankful for our staff who have continued to press on and show up
every day. I know it has been a tough few years and even harder these past couple of months.
Many have asked about next steps, and although we'd love to see this addition
completed as soon as possible, we are faced with the realities of the calendar.
Many contractors have likely already committed to work for the rest of the
year. However, I assure you that the school board will be in discussions right
away and we will keep you informed as this moves forward.
School referendums are so important for our rural communities. The bottom line
is, if we do not invest in our schools, people will not move to our
communities. As our local workforce is aging and many of the businesses in the
area are growing, we must continue to be progressive to meet the evolving needs of area employers.
Our responsibility as a school district is to provide an education for our
students to succeed not only in the classroom but long-term in life. I can
assure you that we will continue to provide the best education for our students
while being fiscally-responsible and doing our best to keep you informed along the way.
As we make these long-term investments, we will hopefully be able to attract
more people who will want to live and work here.
At the end of the day, this is about the kids. We must continue to evolve to
provide flexible learning environments and innovative teaching strategies where
students can learn in a variety of ways that prepare them for life.
UNOFFICIAL STATS
1,609 ballots cast (51% of registered voters)
1,146 voted YES (71.22%)
463 voted NO (28.78%)
Thank you for your continued support!
Trevor Miller, Superintendent
The preliminary results are in for today's IKM-Manning Special Election.
Overall, the measure passed with 1,146 "Yes" votes and 463 "No" votes for a total of 1,609 ballots cast. With 50 percent approval needed,
the results show 71.22% voting "Yes" and 28.78% voting "No."
In Carroll County, there were 821 votes cast, with 776 "Yes" votes and 45 "No" votes for 94.52% approval.
In Crawford County, there were 406 votes cast, with 197 "Yes" votes and 209 "No" votes for 48.52% approval.
In Shelby and Audubon counties, there were 382 votes cast, with 173 "Yes" votes and 209 "No" votes for 45.29% approval.
The votes will now be canvassed by the boards of supervisors in each of the district's counties before the election results become final.
Previous vote in 2020
Voters in the IKM-Manning School District went to the polls Tuesday, September 8, 2020, and failed to approve a $19.2 million bond referendum that would have
paid for an addition and upgrade, to create a K-12 center in Manning. Total votes from the combined counties amounted to 1,049-yes.
There were 859 No votes (55% in favor to 45% opposed). The bond measure required 60% approval plus 1, in order to pass.
1936 gym construction
What if the Manning community had NOT voted for the 1970 school bond issue?
Ewoldt No. 5 country school was re-opened in 1963 to house grade school students until the new grade school construction was completed in 1964.
More than likely the Manning School District would have closed sometime after 1970, OR, if the district was still in existence during the 1980s or into the early 1990s - the old high school,
which was structurally failing in 1970, would have surely had to be condemned and more than likely a new school bond issue would have never been proposed -
so Manning students would have to be bussed to Carroll.
2009 is when IKM merged with Manning...
Would the IKM school district have voted to spend 5 to 10 million dollars to update their old schools or build a new school in Manilla or Irwin if the Manning District had closed?
Or would the IKM district have continued on with their existing school buildings?
In 2009 or soon thereafter, more than likely IKM would have closed and Manilla kids would have been bussed to Denison, and Irwin/Kirkman kids to Harlan.
Of course this is all speculation.
If you are interested in the history of the Manning School District then click on this link below from 2020.
2020 IKM-Manning School bond issue
There is some speculation and opinion but also a lot of historical facts that most people are probably unaware of...
Construction of this gym began in 1972-73 - its 50th anniversary will be 2023-24
November 10, 2022 - an image the community can be VERY proud of!
While I know there are always infrastructure updates and repairs needed - our schools are in amazing shape considering the decades of use.
You WILL NOT see graffiti!!! and if it does show up, our amazing janitors will clean it up immediately.
Respect for property and each other, and Pride in our community and country are probably the most important
lessons kids need to learn while growing up and receiving their education...
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