The office produced a video earlier this month and released it on YouTube to inform voters about all the things paid for by the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy, which district voters will be asked to renew on the Nov. 7 ballot.
The tax levy — known as PPEL — is a capital projects fund for the purchase and improvement of grounds, purchase, construction and remodeling of buildings, major equipment purchases including technology and rental of land and equipment. Funded by property taxes levied and collected by the school district, it is subject to being renewed by district voters every 10 years.
The video takes viewers on a trip on a new school bus — purchased with PPEL funds — to Francis Marion Intermediate School, which was updated with a new front office, secure entrance, roofing project and new furniture, all with PPEL funding.
From there, viewers go to Vernon Middle School where floor scrubbers — yes, purchased with PPEL funds — are used to keep the floors waxed and clean.
Also purchased with PPEL funding are lawn mowers to keep the district's grounds looking "top notch," a new dump truck to help with renovation projects and fresh paint, new carpet and a new heating and cooling system at Marion High School.
This is the second video the Marion Independent School District's business office has produced to help staff and the community better understand school finance.
"School finance is so complicated," said Christie VanWey, business manager for the school district. "I strongly believe educating people is key. I hope the public and staff find the video helpful and fun."
Earlier this year, the business office released a school funding video for employees and a video titled "Who's who?"
"We often hear, 'I'm not sure who to contact,'" VanWey said. The video highlights people in payroll, human resources, student services and the superintendent's secretary and is a "fun way" for school staff to see the faces and get to know their peers in the business office, "which is often in the background."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRnMd_phHoQ
VanWey has been Marion school's business manager for about a decade — but it's not a job she ever pictured herself doing.
VanWey started her career as an accountant before becoming a day care provider, which she did for 11 years before deciding again to try something new. She then worked as a paraeducator in the Marion school district, where both she and her kids graduated.
When a secretary position opened up at Marion High School, she took it because it felt "more in my wheelhouse," she said.
Then a job opened up in the Linn-Mar Community School District's accounting department. When she had the opportunity to come back to the Marion Independent School District — with experience in a school accounting department under her belt — it felt like coming home, she said.
"I got that job, and it was probably the best thing that ever happened to me," VanWey said.
Getting to work on a school's budget "is like a puzzle I put together, investigate, dig into and analyze" every year. "That's what I love to do," VanWey said.
VanWey said her experience as an accountant didn't fully prepare her for her role as business manager. "There's so much to learn it feels like you're drinking from a fire hose," she said.
Now, VanWey said she feels like she has "so much purpose" overseeing the budget of a school district that serves about 2,200 students and their families. She also spends a lot of time mentoring new school finance officers across Eastern Iowa.
Part of the inspiration behind the school finance videos is the growth Marion Independent schools has been experiencing lately, VanWey said. In March 2021, voters passed a $31 million bond referendum, which funded facility projects including a new elementary school, auditorium and outdoor activities complex at Marion High School and making repairs to other district buildings.
VanWey said she "gets chills" seeing how perfectly the new activities complex — which was completed earlier this year — fits into the landscape of Marion.
The videos were filmed and edited by William Randall, the son of another employee in the Marion school's business office. Randall graduated from the district in 2016 and studied digital media at the University of Northern Iowa.
Volunteering with the business office on this videos is a side project that keeps him connected to his alma mater, Randall said.
© 2023 The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
