September 26, 2018 at 6:00 PM - Board of Education Facility Planning Workshop

Discussion:  President Matt O'Daniel opened the meeting at 6:02 p.m. indicating that the record should reflect that all board members were present.  Also present was Superintendent Lynn Johnson, Aaron Pfingsten, James Shada, Jacque Morgan.

Discussion:  Dr. Larry Dlugosh facilitated the meeting.  He described his role in the facilitation of the process to all who were present.  His stated intention was to help the board organize their thoughts about the process of the identification of facility needs, the design of future facilities (and land), funding of facilities, the timing of the construction of facilities when you do build. The board established factors that they thought should drive the remodeling or construction of facilities to include: spaces that are multi-use, the cost and the scope,determining whether it is a need or a want, having facilities that parallel other schools our size, good return on investment/having it touch the most kids or add the best impact, having the space or green space to do expansion,having an eye to the future with no band-aid solutions, being responsive to enrollment, sharing burden by partnering with outside entities, and having up to date and modern facilities. Then the board was asked to determine the type of construction materials that the district should use to build facilities.  Their response was to not have temporary structures unless there was an emergency need, functional facilities that also tie into our current facilities, quality facilities that we can take pride in, facilities that look good and are uniform.  It was noted that good facilities attract families, students, and employees.  Limited room for growth adjacent to current facilities could be an inhibitor.  The board was then asked to identify the sources of funding that best fit the needs of the district.  It was noted that the current cost of a classroom is $240-$260 per square foot (SF), based on current valuation a penny levied generates about $70,000, and there are limited ways in which a district can fund new buildings. One means is the Special Building Fund in which the board is currently levying 6 cents. There is a cap of 17 cents on the Special Building Fund.  This fund is part of the $1.05 levy cap.  Currently the district has a 91 cent levy in the funds that fall under the $1.05 cap.  Bonds are another means of funding, noting the district is in year 8 of a 30 year bond.  There is not a limit to how many bonds a district can have.  Bonds are ballot issues.  Lease-Purchase  is an increasingly used method of funding new construction.  There are limitations and regulations regarding lease-purchase.  Gifts by donors and joint efforts with other agencies are other funding mechanisms. The board identified a list of the current needs and wants by using the information that was available to them from the community feedback and from the summative needs list that was established by the buildings and grounds committee.  After the priority list was identified the board discussed that certain items on this list could be financed using depreciation money and/or did not qualify as new brick and mortar construction.  Those items included more parking, energy and efficiency such as windows, security and safety items, and baseball field improvements.  Five priority items were considered during the next phase of prioritization.  Each board member was asked to prioritize the 5 items with a 1 being their highest priority.  A low cumulative score indicates the highest prioritized item.  The items and resulting priority are: Fine Arts Auditorium(5-2-5-4-5-2 = 23); Designated Wrestling Room(4-1-4-2-1-1= 13); Additional Classrooms in ELE and HS that included Career and Tech Ed Facilities, Technology Classes, Shop area and general classroom, ag classroom, robotics, preschool space and general elem classrooms (1-3-1-1-2-3= 10); Kitchen(2-5-2-5-4-4= 22); Locker room and restroom updates(3-4-3-3-3-5= 21). The board will hire an architect to assist in looking at the facilities relative to the identified priorities.  The board will use the information gained from the architect and align that with the resources to determine next steps and timelines.
 
 

Discussion:  President Matt O'Daniel adjourned the meeting at 8:40 p.m.