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Modifications made to scope of bond project
RANDOLPH – Randolph School Board members have whittled down the scope and price tag of a school bond issue which will likely be presented to voters in a May special election.
Voters narrowly defeated a $9.75 million bond issue in November that would’ve provided updates at the elementary building, high school building, and provided for a new Career Technical Education(CTE)/Ag building.
After the fall bond issue failed, work began immediately to re-evaluate the project. At last week’s school board meeting, members were able to meet with the district’s building partners - BD Construction, Kearney; Fakler Architects, Beatrice; and Northland Securities, Omaha - by videoconference.
Modifications made to the scope of facility improvements and leveraging funds in the district’s special building fund shed $1 million from the project.
“We went back to the drawing table several times,” said Superintendent Daryl Schrunk in an interview after the meeting.
The new bond issue will include a scaled-down version of the new CTE/ Ag building, from 13,000 to 9,680 square feet. The board nixed space for the art program and a mezzanine from the original plan.
High school roof repairs will be taken out of the bond proposal, instead funded through the district’s special building fund and completed this summer. That leaves high school gym air conditioning remaining on the bond.
No changes were made in the improvements planned at the elementary building, estimated at nearly $4.9 million.
Board members and district kitchen staff toured Wayne and Laurel-Concord-Coleridge’s facilities to learn more about utilizing a warming/serving kitchen, part of the bond project. Other elementary improvements include replacing the original HVAC boiler system, electrical and lighting upgrades, renovating restrooms, and improving security, among other items.
Using about $500,000 from the special building fund for some of the bond projects still leaves a healthy amount set aside for any emergency repairs that may arise, Schrunk said.
“You don’t want to deplete that too much. Who knows what could come up? There might be something that’s not insurance related that we have to be ready to repair,” he said.
The public is invited to hear additional details about the proposed bond issue and its financial impacts at a town hall meeting set for 7 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 26, at the high school.
The meeting will be interactive with a question-and-answer session. An updated tax calculator will be available at that time for patrons to figure their own individual tax impact.
Additional public volunteers are being sought to join a bond informational committee to help disseminate data about the bond project and election.
It’s anticipated the board will vote at its March meeting to set the special election for May where district voters - including those in Pierce, Wayne and Cedar counties - will make the final decision on the $8.75 million project.
At its regular meeting last week, the board also heard a report from Elementary Principal Denton Beacom about increasing enrollment.
He’s expecting about 26 students to enroll in kindergarten this fall. With that projection, it may open the opportunity to have two sections of kindergarten and shuffle some staff to better accommodate the growing number of young learners.
Schrunk, with assistance from Elementary Secretary Jackie Loberg, keep a census report, tallying the number of individuals in the district from birth through 21 years old.
The district also considers Cardinal Kids Learning Center preschool enrollment when making projections. But even with all of that data, there’s usually a few more who register for kindergarten each year.
“All the surprises have been kids who don’t attend preschool,” Beacom said. “Just going by the Cardinal Kids numbers is not a complete picture.”
The best way to plan for the fall is to see how many children attend Kindergarten Roundup - this year set for Friday, March 21, although by that time, it is often too late to hire another teacher if one is needed, Schrunk said.
Currently, no changes have been made to kindergarten staffing or classroom size for this fall.
