March 1, 2022
Hello Howards Grove Tigers!
It is another great day to be a Tiger.
As you may have recently heard the Howards Grove Board of Education has entered into contract for the purchase of nearly 40 acres of land on Hwy 42 which abuts the current High School property.
There have been several questions about the purpose of this land purchase. Please let me take a moment to clarify why the Board of Education decided to purchase the land at this time and what this could mean for our district long term.
When we became aware of this property being available for purchase a couple of key thoughts came to mind. First, we didn’t know specifically what the future held, but we felt that with the high quality education our district offers we would continue to see growth in our future. And second, we realized that one thing we cannot build is more land. We felt that this was a unique opportunity for the district to invest in our future, and we were concerned that this opportunity may pass us by if we did not move swiftly. I would like to recognize Shannon Kilton and Brian Walters for the effort they put forth to help us execute this process. I also would like to thank Matt Kapellen of Pleasantview Realty for his partnership with the district.
We recognize that some people may feel that this purchase is somehow tied to the activity around the referendum and the discussions we are having about the needs of our current buildings and grounds. That is not the case. We were not aware of the opportunity to purchase this property until a sign went up on the property advertising the property as being for sale. The work we have been doing on the deficiencies of our buildings and grounds pre-date this purchase and we are fully committed to engaging with the community to establish a plan to meet the more immediate needs of the district that can be supported by the community. We will engage with the community multiple times in March, April and May to come up with a plan that is of the best interest of the community. If this property helps us accomplish the plan that the community establishes then of course we would use the property as directed by the community, however, if the community feels that there is a different plan that is more appropriate for our district that does not involve this property than we have the ability to either hold the land for future unidentified needs, or we can look at this as an investment that can be sold for a profit in the future. No matter how this property is utilized in the future, it was the opinion of the Board of Education that this was an opportunity we could not pass up, and that needed to be moved on swiftly.
There has also recently been some questions about where the authority to make such a purchase comes from. One of the most basic roles of the Board of Education is to run the long term strategic business of the district. The purchase of public land is a part of the Board’s responsibility for the long term vision and strategy of the district, and so this authority is extended to the Board as a part of its basic function.
The concern has also been raised about how this could have been done with little notice to the district. I understand this concern, however, it is important to maintain a level of confidentiality in order for the board to be able to negotiate the best situation for the district, therefore we are permitted to work in closed session on items such as the purchase of land. We do take action in open session, for example, when we granted authority to the administration to represent the district in the negotiations for the purchase of land. This action is always completed in open session. This is a difficult balancing act between maintaining our ability to negotiate with the desire to operate with transparency for all members of the community. We strive to maintain this balance and apologize if you feel that your trust has been violated.
There have also been questions about where the funds to make this purchase are coming from. The district will be utilizing existing district funds to cover this purchase.
Finally, there have been questions about the timing of the announcement as the purchase has not yet closed. We made the decision to make the announcement when we did as the offer that the district extended had several contingencies attached to it. These contingencies require significant work to be done assessing the viability of the land. Knowing that this activity would likely be observed and lead to speculation within the community we felt it was best to bring the information to the district now.
I hope this helps to clarify why we have made an offer to purchase the property along Hwy 42. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss this further if you have additional questions.
Thank you for your time, interest and support.
GO TIGERS!
Sincerely,
Dave Loomis
President
Howards Grove Board of Education