The USD 253 Board of Education is set to potentially approve a bond resolution after discussions during their regular meeting Wednesday evening.
Board members appear to have finally settled on a bond amount to finance upgrades to district buildings identified in the recent facility needs assessment. The proposed number is $78 million, which is a large difference from the original estimate of $115 million and carries a mill levy increase around three mills.
USD 253 Superintendent Kevin Case says refining the scope of the project to the $78 million total required a closer look at what needs are the most pressing for each district facility. He says while this is a large step in what has been an eight-month process, there is still a lot of work to be done.
Case also says the opportunity to hear from the community throughout the process has also played a factor in the board’s ability to refine the project’s scope. Board of Education Vice-President Art Gutierrez also remarked on the importance of community feedback, saying the community essentially has the final say on the bond issue.
In order to help ensure all voters are up to date as possible on the bond issue, the district will be holding two informational meetings for the public on April 30th at noon and 6:30 pm inside the Mary Herbert Education Center.
Over the next two weeks, district staff will work on the resolution language and have it ready for a vote during the board’s May 8th meeting. The payback period for the bond is currently set at 28 years.
Representatives of HTK Architects, as well as Gina Riekhof of Gilmore and Bell, were in attendance for the meeting to continue discussions on the scope of the project and provide guidance in regards to the bond resolution process.
In other business board members unanimously approved revisions of wording for board policies and presented a proclamation for National Teacher Day on May 7.
Four executive sessions regarding personnel and negotiations also took place, no action was taken. The USD 253 Board of Education will next convene Wednesday, May 8th inside the Mary Herbert Education Center.
