At the Special Board Meeting on November 5, 2025, the School Board approved a resolution calling for a $19.9 million building bond referendum scheduled for February 10, 2026 at the Ed Pollard Community Center.
Board Member, Tricia Mages asserted going to voters in February because "We don't want to get too far away from the survey...it is on people's minds."
Taking the recently completed community facilities survey in consideration, the Board refined the scope of projects to address the priorities, as seen by the stakeholders.
Board Chair Dr. Michael Collins supported this new plan citing lessons learned on the two failed referendums and community survey that suggested the Board didn't understand the voters in the past and now has a plan that does reflect the community's priorities and concerns, telling a concerned voter at the meeting: "You are right, we probably didn't understand the vote."
With that valuable feedback in hand--focused on reducing the tax burden as much as possible without compromising the immediate and future needs, the project scope for February 10, 2026 has been reduced by 40% from the failed April 8, 2025 referendum. The tax impact on a median household ($215,000) has been reduced by 75%. Much of this has been accomplished by making space compromises, reducing square footage project-wide, and listening to the feedback from the stakeholder groups on the most important elements to the future needs of our school. The information the Board considered can be seen here.
The $19.9 million project scope addresses the following immediate needs:
Safety, security, and parking lot updates
Improved pickup/drop off - keeping students safe by reducing traffic congestion
Increased parking lot space
Abandoning many unmonitored entrances, and adding a monitored South Entrance
Creates the ability to cordon off classroom spaces from performance spaces during the school day
Expansion of classroom spaces - including space for career and technical (trades) education and special education to meet current and future academic programming
Board Vice Chair Corey Goodwin said, "The reality is, this design is driven by expanding classroom space for career and technical education." "CTE is a fairly large part of the project scope...to get the student experience to a point that students enjoy and are engaged in hands-on experience, this space is needed."
Goodwin expanded on the CTE space issues: "We have companies that are willing to donate equipment for learning, but we have to say no because we do not have the space to put it in...so you are limiting your student experiences."
The project design moves the oldest section of the school, containing the auditorium and its attached gym and locker rooms to the South side of the building, allowing classroom space for CTE to expand where it is already located, in an area that coordinates with the other CTE teachers, has access for loading/unloading, and near open parking lot space that could house future temporary grant-funded CTE projects, such as a meat processing trailer.
Removal of the 1940's auditorium/gym, and rebuilding of a new multi-purpose performance space:
Increases auditorium seating by 50% more seats
Better sightlines,
Accessible to parking,
Retractable, telescoping theater seats, allowing for other uses of the space
Relocation of the fitness room and locker rooms to areas near controlled entrances, parking, and gymnasium spaces
The proposed $19.9 million is the latest revision of the School Board's Facilities planning dating back to 2023.
The project scope for February 10, 2026 has been reduced by 40% from the failed April 8, 2025 referendum. The tax impact on a median household ($215,000) has been reduced by 75%.
Board Secretary Amy Weisser also supported going to voters in February because "We've been in this process for four years--it isn't a rush to voters, it is more about getting it done soon so we can start it, avoid inflation, and future project delays."
More information will be posted on the District website, shared via the District Newsletter, directly mailed to taxpayers homes, and future community meetings will be held at dates TBD. Please check the website regularly during the upcoming weeks.
Early voting/absentee voting will begin on December 26th in the District Office during regular hours, with expanded voting hours on dates yet to be determined. Voting will be from 7am to 8pm on February 10, 2026 at the Ed Pollard Community Center.
In other actions, the Board acted to move the Truth in Taxation meeting scheduled on December 3, 2026 back a half of an hour to 6:00pm in the District Office to be more accommodating to visitors.
The next School Board Meeting will be a regular meeting on Wednesday, November 19th at 5:30pm