Twenty years ago, the city of North Platte voted yes to a new tax that would sponsor our very own North Platte High School. Fast-forward to now, the high school has been built and the tax has all been paid off. However, safety is still the number one priority in the school district right now. In the name of security, the school board is asking the community to vote to extend the levy for another five years. 

The district has started a program called the Safety and Security Initiative (SSI), to provide immediate-type security needs for the schools in our city. The next step for the high school is improving the security of the entrance. The goal would be to add another room for people to go through before they can be permitted into the actual school. “For students it should create a more safe and secure learning environment, and hopefully prevent people from just coming into the building and wandering around,” Said Director of communications for North Platte Public Schools Tina Smith.

The levy amount will not increase for taxpayers if it passes, instead it will stay the same until, in five years, the projected costs have been paid off. The levy will be voted on in March, but the SSI is spreading all the information that regards that tax right now. “We’re inviting the community to come to several of our open forum sessions,” said Smith.

Smith also emphasizes that there are good measures in place now, but this levy would go towards adding another level of security for North Platte’s students. “We want to make sure that the students, staff, and community that we serve are secure when they are in our buildings. And that they know our students are in a safe learning environment,” Smith said.