TECUMSEH, NE — The Johnson County Central (JCC) school district will ask its voters the $43 million dollar question next month.

"I just hope people seek out the information," JCC Superintendent Jon Rother said. "If they have questions, I hope they call me. I've always been an open book."

JCC Superintendent Jon Rother and the district are putting a bond issue to build a brand new school on next month’s election ballot. It’d be paid off over 25 years.

The district currently uses three buildings in two towns — two in Tecumseh and one in Cook. The new facility would bring all students under one roof. Rother says that's the main goal of the project.

"Just looking at the budget and how we were spending our money with two campuses and three buildings and just seeing things were a bit inefficient with staff and how money was used," Rother said. "So the more we looked at it, the more we thought it would make sense to bring everyone to one site."

All current buildings in the district are between 55 and 90 years old. Rother says going the renovation route will still be costly and take more time even if the district maxes out its building fund levy.

"We could generate near, in a year, at a 17.5 cent building fund [levy] about $1,200,000," Rother said. "So you're going to do those projects over time. You can get an estimate or a quote on a project one year and then by the time you've saved up for it in three years, the cost could have changed."

That 17.5 cent building fund levy would be the highest JCC could have by law. Currently, the district's building fund levy is at 6 cents. The district estimates renovations could cost up to $28 million. 

There would be further issues like trying to complete the renovations in buildings occupied most of the year. Rother told those who attended the public meeting Wednesday the district has no extra space to put students if renovations had to completed during the school year. 

The new school would be located on roughly 50 acres in Tecumseh, just northeast of the current high school. According to Rother, two-thirds of all the district's students live within one mile of the current high school. Plans also leave room for expansion if the district grows.

"We've been hearing about NioCorp possibly coming in at some point," Rother said. "So if something like that were to happen and we had an influx of students we would be able to that."

If the bond is approved, construction could begin by Spring next year with completion by Summer 2025.

For more information on what the new facility would look like, and to even estimate ones tax impact if the bond passes, the school district has set up a website dedicated to informing the public on the project. 

The school bond will appear on the May 10 ballot.