VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – In a 3 to 2 vote the Valley City School board defeated a motion to authorize a vote to propose an increase to the school district building fund levy during their regular meeting on Wednesday, March 20th.
Superintendent Josh Johnson told the school board he didn’t think the timing was right to ask voters to increase the building fund levy right now.
But school board member Phil Hatcher strongly advocated that the board to authorize a vote to get it placed on the June 11th ballot. He said the school district has several facility needs that need to be addressed right now.
The school board voted 3 to 2 to defeat a motion to authorize a vote in the June 11th election. Board members Phil Hatcher and Chris Grafing voting for the motion while Darin Anderson, Sherri Horsager, and Ryan Mathias voted against the motion.
The Valley City Public School District became a member of the school construction coalition, joining several other school districts to lobby the legislature for funding to build new schools or repair aging facilities in school districts across the state.
Johnson said he would like to wait and see if legislators approve of a future bill in the upcoming 2025 legislative session to address issues brought forth by members of the school construction coalition.
The Valley City school board unanimously approved joining the school construction coalition during their December 2023 board meeting.
Meanwhile, it’s been a frustrating three years for the school district to decide what direction they should pursue to repair or build a new school as they deal with aging facilities. Johnson gave a summary of what the school district has gone through over the last three years and the setbacks that they have had to deal with as they pursue the right direction for the future of the school districts facilities.
The 2024-2025 Valley City Public Schools calendar has been approved by the school board the calendar is attached below.