Bond issue on ballot will provide R-1 with $2.5M for improvements

By Mark Parker, Maries R-1 School Superintendent
Posted 1/22/20

Over the past several weeks you may have been reading updates in the newspaper about our school district and about two issues that we have been discussing. I wanted to take this opportunity to …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in

Bond issue on ballot will provide R-1 with $2.5M for improvements

Posted

Over the past several weeks you may have been reading updates in the newspaper about our school district and about two issues that we have been discussing. I wanted to take this opportunity to examine and explain the two issues that our school personnel and the school board have been looking at. The two issues are the bond issue in April that will extend the district’s current tax levy and will provide the district with about $2.5 million for improvements, and examining the four-day school week as a possible option for the district

In April, district voters have the option to pass a bond issue for the Maries R-1 School District. If passed, this bond issue will provide the school district approximately $2.5 million to make improvements by extending the current tax rate of $0.44. In essence, it is a “no tax increase” bond issue as it continues the levy at the same rate.

With these funds, the board’s first priority will be to make needed safety improvements to school buildings. 

• The first project will be to add safety vestibules at both the high school and elementary school entrances with safety enhancements to limit access to the buildings by visitors. These entrances we will add a means to background check visitors for sexual predators. 

• The second safety project is replacing all of the current exterior doors with doors that provide less visibility into the building as well as more security.  Along with this, the district will utilize electronic key mechanisms that will allow staff access to the building in a quicker manner. 

• The third safety project is to replace the classroom windows in the elementary and junior high school. Currently each classroom has an entire wall of windows that allows visibility into each classroom from the outside. So many windows cause a safety concern and are non-energy efficient. By replacing each wall of windows with a framed wall and two to three energy efficient windows, safety and energy efficiency will be increased. This project will provide our a monthly savings in electric and propane expenses.

• Another project that our school board approved through this bond issue is to renovate the “old library” area into a new band room. This will allow the band students to get to the classroom without climbing two flights of stairs.

• Along with the new band room the board wants to build a hallway addition with a new concession area, connecting the existing gym entrance to the new band room.  By doing this, it will provide the school with an ADA compliant entrance to the gym and new band room and it will provide additional space during basketball games for concessions.

Other needed improvements that the bond issue will provide are improvements to campus school roads and parking areas as well as track improvements. 

• Currently the roads around the school and the parking areas are starting to fall apart and lack proper lighting for safety. This will allow the district to reseal, resurface, or replace the existing areas in the most cost effective, longest lasting way and add additional lighting to promote safety and security. 

• Also, the track that we have to the east of our school is cracked and uneven causing some schools to not participate in our track meets and if not fixed.It  will become dangerous for our students to utilize as it is not in good shape.  Funds from the bond issue will provide means for the district to address these safety concerns with the track and make it a fantastic facility for many years to come. 

If this bond issue is passed in April, these projects are what we will be concentrating our efforts on as well as any other improvements throughout the district as funding will allow.