January 17, 2024 • 13 mins
Join us, with Circle community member, Nick Engels to talk a little about the Circle Rec program and efforts to create a Circle Rec Commission.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hello everybody, welcome to the very first episode of T-Bird Talk.
(00:08):
Join us as we explore the world of Circle Public Schools, sharing inspiring stories,
delving into the inner workings of our district, exploring innovative education, and celebrating
the achievements of our students and educators.
Whether you're a student, parent, educator, or just passionate about education, T-Bird
Talk is your go-to source for community conversations and behind-the-scenes insights.
(00:29):
Get ready for a journey into the heart of Circle Public Schools, where excellence meets
innovation.
I'm Superintendent Don Potter.
And I'm Sarah Potter, Director of Community Relations and Development.
Today we're here with Circle Community member Nick Ingalls to talk a little about the Circle
Rec program and efforts to create a Circle Rec Commission.
Nick is a Thunderbird alumni, parent, and local business owner who is wholly invested
(00:52):
in our school community, serving on several committees including Booster Club, Circle
Rec, and many, many more.
Welcome Nick to the first episode of T-Bird Talk.
Yeah, thanks.
Excited to be here.
You know, we're going to jump right into it.
One of the programs that the community is really working on trying to get established
is Circle Rec Commission.
(01:14):
Nick, can you tell us a little bit about the Circle Rec program and its goals?
Yeah, so this is something that's developed over years going back to when I was a kid
at Oil Hill.
Oil Hill kiddos kind of went to El Dorado and did their thing.
Tawanda and Benton kind of had their own thing and Greenwich didn't even exist.
(01:36):
And then over the last 20 years or so, it's been led by volunteers who have worked hard
to bring the communities together and have a great program for our kiddos.
We've had some key volunteers over the last few years that have kind of held it together.
Their kids are starting to age out and there's some other things that now it's the right
time we believe to formally put a rec commission together and we're excited about doing so.
(02:06):
And I think it's so important because I think when we look at the Circle Rec Commission
and the opportunities that provides our kids and our families is astronomical.
To be able to participate together in those activities with their classmates and etc.
With the idea of continuing to build upon the unity of everybody being a T-bird from
(02:29):
the school district standpoint, my personal opinion as superintendent, I think this is
a great, great project for our community to invest in.
Yeah, absolutely.
I love your goal of everybody being a T-bird.
I think that's been a really cool initiative.
And I think we've seen the fruits of that.
And this is kind of the next step to really bring that together so that kids from Greenwich
(02:53):
get to know, before they get to middle school, get to know kids from Oil Hill and Tawanda
and Benton and everybody in between.
And so yeah, this is a logical step to even bring that together.
And so currently right now, the city of Tawanda is kind of the instrument that is holding
the funds, I guess, to allow Circle Rec to happen.
(03:17):
And the statute says that either a city or a school district can be the housing of a
rec department.
And so with having four to five different communities that we're dealing with, it makes
sense that the school district would be that entity that holds Circle Rec.
Now that said, the school board really has nothing to do with this once it's established.
(03:42):
And Mr. Potter can kind of go into that and explain how that works.
Yeah, well, to reiterate your point a little bit is, in any community, all of us know the
school district is a centralized, unity-driven type of piece that goes into that community.
And it speaks even louder in our communities together because we have buildings in each
(04:09):
one of our communities, which is really beneficial.
But from a school district sponsoring this versus one city sponsoring it, it makes more
sense for the school district to do that.
So very, very excited about being able to get this off the ground and see what we can
do because I think it does benefit our kids more so than just athletics.
(04:33):
I think being able them to see everybody being that T-bird we're all committed is called
Circle Recreation Commission.
And those kind of things matter to kids, in my opinion, versus being splintered off somewhere
else and then go to school in a Circle building.
So we're pretty excited about the opportunity and the possibilities of this as we continue
(04:55):
to move forward.
So I have a question.
Sure.
What's the difference?
What's the difference between the current Circle Rec program and the proposed commission?
Yeah.
So this would be a funded commission.
Right now, the way that Circle Rec is funded is through registration fees for sports.
And those registration fees simply cover the cost of uniforms and officials.
(05:20):
Fortunately, the school district has been awesome to allow us to use their facilities,
but we're barely scraping by.
So there would be taxes assessed that would help fund this so that we could have a hired
person that reports directly to a board, a board under the rec commission, not the school
(05:40):
board, but a separate board, that this person would serve that.
And it would be a lot more like what you see in other communities, El Dorado, Mays, Park
City, Valley Center, a true rec department with employees and that we can start working
on goals and offering more things.
And it would also be an opportunity.
(06:01):
There would still be registration fees, but they would be less, number one.
And then there's, we've heard from community members that just simply can't afford it.
And so this would allow us to make sure that everybody else or that everybody has an opportunity
to participate.
So my next question would be, you talked about, you know, right now the city of Tawanda houses
(06:22):
the program.
So Mr. Potter, why does it make more sense or why does it make sense for the district
to sponsor or house this program?
Well by statute, a city or a school district must sponsor this by assessing millage, helping
with budget, those kinds of things.
And with one city doing that, they would be funding it for the entire, all of the communities,
(06:48):
which that doesn't make sense that if Benton or Tawanda or another community, per se, is
funding the entire project, just doesn't make sense.
So as the school district does a sponsor, then it allows those tax entities to share
the expense of that, which I don't necessarily, from a taxpayer in the district, I don't see
(07:10):
as an expense.
I see as an investment for the future of our communities.
Do we know exactly like an estimate of what that impact would be on our tax?
So you'll hear the word statute a lot because the statutes in forming a rec commission drives
a lot of the things that we're talking about today.
(07:32):
And one being, there has to be at least, at the beginning of the establishment of a rec
commission, at least one mill has to be assessed to get on the ballot for that first year.
And then you adjust your budget based on then to see what is it going to cost to run this
efficiently.
(07:52):
And what was your other part of the question?
So what does it mean for my taxes?
I know it would just be an estimate.
So a mill, 1.0, would be, it's 1% of every 1,000 assessed.
So if you own a house, which let's say you own a $200,000 house, you get a $40,000 exemption,
(08:14):
which then it turns out to be about $160,000, then you take 11.5% of that, which would be
just some quick math here, say $20,000.
So of that $20,000, that one mill is going to be approximately $20 a year for a $200,000
(08:38):
home.
OK.
Make sense?
Yeah, and so some other things to kind of tell you about.
So right now we're asking people to sign a petition to have a special election.
And so there's several of us circulators that will be at different sporting events over
the next few weeks to try to get signatures.
(09:00):
And we would like to have between 500 and 600 signatures.
And then that will go to the county.
And then from there, if they check all the signatures, we have enough.
And then that allows us to have this special election.
And that election would occur end of April, beginning of May.
And then from there, you could vote yes or no, however you feel.
(09:24):
And we would then hopefully a yes vote.
And then we're off and running.
We would get funds maybe this summer.
Is that right, Mr. Potter?
I believe that's correct.
OK.
I'm not sure if we can look into that for C. But it might be the following year.
OK.
We'd have to check on that for sure.
That's what we would need to get going.
(09:45):
And so if you want to sign the petition, please, the best way what you could do is follow the
Circle Kids page on Facebook.
And you can message us there.
And I have about 10 people right now that I'm just going to go to their house and get
their signatures.
So we're willing to do that.
Or if you're at a basketball game for the high school or rec, we'll be available to
(10:09):
Wanda and Benton to sign that.
And so I think we're going to have those two at the offices of the school building if they
wanted to sign up there.
You do have to be a member of the district, live in the boundaries and a registered voter
to sign that.
We do have we have it here at the district office.
And Nick, do you have names of people who have those positions?
(10:31):
Yes.
So if we're out and about, if I see Nick, I know I can see me if you see Darcy Smith,
Kyle Owen, Chris Hofer, Jordan Baxter, there's quite a few out there.
We'll get a list and we'll post it.
Yeah.
And we'll wrap this up.
But one of the things that I wanted to make sure to make sure the community is aware,
(10:53):
this is a community project.
It's not a school district project.
However, I will be selfish to say that I know that this is really going to assist our district
and a lot of the goals for our students that we have.
And the school district is involved to assess the tax to to assess the tax in our budget.
It goes through a traditional hearing, those kind of things each time the budget is is
(11:18):
proposed by the circle recommission so that there would be some checks and balances there
that are necessary in order to that.
It is a separate board circle public schools board would not run this recommission, nor
would we want to.
I think it's a community project and it's a community program and we want it to be that
(11:38):
way.
So in a nutshell, that's that's what it is.
We are hoping that we can get this off the ground for the sake of kids benefit.
And our program has been good.
I just see it as as a way for us to really move into, you know, more programs, more participation.
(12:02):
And furthermore, we we have in this community over the past, I don't know how many years
have rested on volunteers running this.
And it's it's those volunteers are quickly running out on us.
So it's a very, very needed program at this time, but Nick, we appreciate you joining
(12:24):
us on the very first episode of T-Bird Talk.
And to stay up with today, we're going to try to put out some some content here and
bring some guests on and kind of talk to us about things.
Make sure to follow us on Facebook at Circle USD 375 and also visit our website at USD
375.org.
(12:45):
And if you're a parent or guardian, make sure to check out that information that we send
you through Parent Square.
If you have any questions for us about this episode or suggestions for future episodes,
make sure and shoot us an email at media at USD 375.org.
We would love to hear from you.
Thanks for joining us for the very first episode of T-Bird Talk.
(13:08):
And I'm not going to let it get by without saying thriving 375.
See you guys.
T-Bird, bye.
Hello everybody, welcome to the very first episode of T-Bird Talk.
(00:08):
Join us as we explore the world of Circle Public Schools, sharing inspiring stories,
delving into the inner workings of our district, exploring innovative education, and celebrating
the achievements of our students and educators.
Whether you're a student, parent, educator, or just passionate about education, T-Bird
Talk is your go-to source for community conversations and behind-the-scenes insights.
(00:29):
Get ready for a journey into the heart of Circle Public Schools, where excellence meets
innovation.
I'm Superintendent Don Potter.
And I'm Sarah Potter, Director of Community Relations and Development.
Today we're here with Circle Community member Nick Ingalls to talk a little about the Circle
Rec program and efforts to create a Circle Rec Commission.
Nick is a Thunderbird alumni, parent, and local business owner who is wholly invested
(00:52):
in our school community, serving on several committees including Booster Club, Circle
Rec, and many, many more.
Welcome Nick to the first episode of T-Bird Talk.
Yeah, thanks.
Excited to be here.
You know, we're going to jump right into it.
One of the programs that the community is really working on trying to get established
is Circle Rec Commission.
(01:14):
Nick, can you tell us a little bit about the Circle Rec program and its goals?
Yeah, so this is something that's developed over years going back to when I was a kid
at Oil Hill.
Oil Hill kiddos kind of went to El Dorado and did their thing.
Tawanda and Benton kind of had their own thing and Greenwich didn't even exist.
(01:36):
And then over the last 20 years or so, it's been led by volunteers who have worked hard
to bring the communities together and have a great program for our kiddos.
We've had some key volunteers over the last few years that have kind of held it together.
Their kids are starting to age out and there's some other things that now it's the right
time we believe to formally put a rec commission together and we're excited about doing so.
(02:06):
And I think it's so important because I think when we look at the Circle Rec Commission
and the opportunities that provides our kids and our families is astronomical.
To be able to participate together in those activities with their classmates and etc.
With the idea of continuing to build upon the unity of everybody being a T-bird from
(02:29):
the school district standpoint, my personal opinion as superintendent, I think this is
a great, great project for our community to invest in.
Yeah, absolutely.
I love your goal of everybody being a T-bird.
I think that's been a really cool initiative.
And I think we've seen the fruits of that.
And this is kind of the next step to really bring that together so that kids from Greenwich
(02:53):
get to know, before they get to middle school, get to know kids from Oil Hill and Tawanda
and Benton and everybody in between.
And so yeah, this is a logical step to even bring that together.
And so currently right now, the city of Tawanda is kind of the instrument that is holding
the funds, I guess, to allow Circle Rec to happen.
(03:17):
And the statute says that either a city or a school district can be the housing of a
rec department.
And so with having four to five different communities that we're dealing with, it makes
sense that the school district would be that entity that holds Circle Rec.
Now that said, the school board really has nothing to do with this once it's established.
(03:42):
And Mr. Potter can kind of go into that and explain how that works.
Yeah, well, to reiterate your point a little bit is, in any community, all of us know the
school district is a centralized, unity-driven type of piece that goes into that community.
And it speaks even louder in our communities together because we have buildings in each
(04:09):
one of our communities, which is really beneficial.
But from a school district sponsoring this versus one city sponsoring it, it makes more
sense for the school district to do that.
So very, very excited about being able to get this off the ground and see what we can
do because I think it does benefit our kids more so than just athletics.
(04:33):
I think being able them to see everybody being that T-bird we're all committed is called
Circle Recreation Commission.
And those kind of things matter to kids, in my opinion, versus being splintered off somewhere
else and then go to school in a Circle building.
So we're pretty excited about the opportunity and the possibilities of this as we continue
(04:55):
to move forward.
So I have a question.
Sure.
What's the difference?
What's the difference between the current Circle Rec program and the proposed commission?
Yeah.
So this would be a funded commission.
Right now, the way that Circle Rec is funded is through registration fees for sports.
And those registration fees simply cover the cost of uniforms and officials.
(05:20):
Fortunately, the school district has been awesome to allow us to use their facilities,
but we're barely scraping by.
So there would be taxes assessed that would help fund this so that we could have a hired
person that reports directly to a board, a board under the rec commission, not the school
(05:40):
board, but a separate board, that this person would serve that.
And it would be a lot more like what you see in other communities, El Dorado, Mays, Park
City, Valley Center, a true rec department with employees and that we can start working
on goals and offering more things.
And it would also be an opportunity.
(06:01):
There would still be registration fees, but they would be less, number one.
And then there's, we've heard from community members that just simply can't afford it.
And so this would allow us to make sure that everybody else or that everybody has an opportunity
to participate.
So my next question would be, you talked about, you know, right now the city of Tawanda houses
(06:22):
the program.
So Mr. Potter, why does it make more sense or why does it make sense for the district
to sponsor or house this program?
Well by statute, a city or a school district must sponsor this by assessing millage, helping
with budget, those kinds of things.
And with one city doing that, they would be funding it for the entire, all of the communities,
(06:48):
which that doesn't make sense that if Benton or Tawanda or another community, per se, is
funding the entire project, just doesn't make sense.
So as the school district does a sponsor, then it allows those tax entities to share
the expense of that, which I don't necessarily, from a taxpayer in the district, I don't see
(07:10):
as an expense.
I see as an investment for the future of our communities.
Do we know exactly like an estimate of what that impact would be on our tax?
So you'll hear the word statute a lot because the statutes in forming a rec commission drives
a lot of the things that we're talking about today.
(07:32):
And one being, there has to be at least, at the beginning of the establishment of a rec
commission, at least one mill has to be assessed to get on the ballot for that first year.
And then you adjust your budget based on then to see what is it going to cost to run this
efficiently.
(07:52):
And what was your other part of the question?
So what does it mean for my taxes?
I know it would just be an estimate.
So a mill, 1.0, would be, it's 1% of every 1,000 assessed.
So if you own a house, which let's say you own a $200,000 house, you get a $40,000 exemption,
(08:14):
which then it turns out to be about $160,000, then you take 11.5% of that, which would be
just some quick math here, say $20,000.
So of that $20,000, that one mill is going to be approximately $20 a year for a $200,000
(08:38):
home.
OK.
Make sense?
Yeah, and so some other things to kind of tell you about.
So right now we're asking people to sign a petition to have a special election.
And so there's several of us circulators that will be at different sporting events over
the next few weeks to try to get signatures.
(09:00):
And we would like to have between 500 and 600 signatures.
And then that will go to the county.
And then from there, if they check all the signatures, we have enough.
And then that allows us to have this special election.
And that election would occur end of April, beginning of May.
And then from there, you could vote yes or no, however you feel.
(09:24):
And we would then hopefully a yes vote.
And then we're off and running.
We would get funds maybe this summer.
Is that right, Mr. Potter?
I believe that's correct.
OK.
I'm not sure if we can look into that for C. But it might be the following year.
OK.
We'd have to check on that for sure.
That's what we would need to get going.
(09:45):
And so if you want to sign the petition, please, the best way what you could do is follow the
Circle Kids page on Facebook.
And you can message us there.
And I have about 10 people right now that I'm just going to go to their house and get
their signatures.
So we're willing to do that.
Or if you're at a basketball game for the high school or rec, we'll be available to
(10:09):
Wanda and Benton to sign that.
And so I think we're going to have those two at the offices of the school building if they
wanted to sign up there.
You do have to be a member of the district, live in the boundaries and a registered voter
to sign that.
We do have we have it here at the district office.
And Nick, do you have names of people who have those positions?
(10:31):
Yes.
So if we're out and about, if I see Nick, I know I can see me if you see Darcy Smith,
Kyle Owen, Chris Hofer, Jordan Baxter, there's quite a few out there.
We'll get a list and we'll post it.
Yeah.
And we'll wrap this up.
But one of the things that I wanted to make sure to make sure the community is aware,
(10:53):
this is a community project.
It's not a school district project.
However, I will be selfish to say that I know that this is really going to assist our district
and a lot of the goals for our students that we have.
And the school district is involved to assess the tax to to assess the tax in our budget.
It goes through a traditional hearing, those kind of things each time the budget is is
(11:18):
proposed by the circle recommission so that there would be some checks and balances there
that are necessary in order to that.
It is a separate board circle public schools board would not run this recommission, nor
would we want to.
I think it's a community project and it's a community program and we want it to be that
(11:38):
way.
So in a nutshell, that's that's what it is.
We are hoping that we can get this off the ground for the sake of kids benefit.
And our program has been good.
I just see it as as a way for us to really move into, you know, more programs, more participation.
(12:02):
And furthermore, we we have in this community over the past, I don't know how many years
have rested on volunteers running this.
And it's it's those volunteers are quickly running out on us.
So it's a very, very needed program at this time, but Nick, we appreciate you joining
(12:24):
us on the very first episode of T-Bird Talk.
And to stay up with today, we're going to try to put out some some content here and
bring some guests on and kind of talk to us about things.
Make sure to follow us on Facebook at Circle USD 375 and also visit our website at USD
375.org.
(12:45):
And if you're a parent or guardian, make sure to check out that information that we send
you through Parent Square.
If you have any questions for us about this episode or suggestions for future episodes,
make sure and shoot us an email at media at USD 375.org.
We would love to hear from you.
Thanks for joining us for the very first episode of T-Bird Talk.
(13:08):
And I'm not going to let it get by without saying thriving 375.
See you guys.
T-Bird, bye.
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