By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Hays USD 489 Community Vision Team worked Tuesday to refine a bond issue in the constraints of what community members say they are willing to pay in taxes
The team focused on elementary school improvements at its meeting Tuesday.
The group heard the results of a phone survey conducted Friday, which asked questions about bond options.
Forty-eight percent of those surveyed said elementary schools improvements should be the district’s priority. Sixty percent of respondents said they would prefer to have smaller, more frequent bond issues.
The survey also asked how much of a tax increase voters would support for school facilities. Eighty-three percent said they would support a tax increase of $10 or less on a $150,000 home.
The team had discussed two options previously. One was to build a new high school, renovate the high school into a middle school, renovate the middle school into an elementary, renovate Wilson and Roosevelt elementary schools, and close O’Loughlin and Lincoln elementary schools.
The second was to build a new elementary school, renovate Wilson and Roosevelt elementary schools, close O’Loughlin and Lincoln elementary schools, and renovate the middle school and high school.
The team Tuesday focused on variations of option two as the members expressed concerns the new high school option would cost more than voters would be willing to support. In June, USD 489 voters soundly rejected a proposed $94 million bond issue for improvements throughout the district.
Many different options were discussed at Tuesday’s meeting with varying price tags. No decisions were made as to scope of a possible bond project, and dollar amounts have not been set, said Troy Wade, bond consensus expert, DLR Group, the district’s architectural firm.
The team discussed both including the high school and middle school renovations in this bond and an option only including construction and renovation of the elementary schools.
Wade noted if the district would come back for a second bond for the middle school and high school in another 10 years, cost would likely increase.
One goal at the elementary schools includes building new gyms that could be used for storm shelters. This would free up the current gym/cafeterias to be used for dining and other activities.
Valerie Wente, a parent of a fifth- and seventh-grader, said gyms at both the elementaries and the middle school were inadequate.
Students at O’Laughlin have to use the 12th Street Auditorium, which is run down, because the gym is not large enough for concerts and programs.
Gyms are not just for sports, she said, they are used for classes and presentations. The middle school gym is booked solid between 5:30 a.m. and 7 p.m.
“You can’t get all kids and activities in the gym,” she said. “Events have to be moved to the (Hays Recreation Commission) and other facilities. The school gym does not having seating for parents. It is an overused space.”
Other goals include increasing security, creating classrooms that are the best size for current and future needs, expanding the schools to handle four sections of each grade, and meeting accessibility requirements.
The middle school is the only building in the district that has a storm shelter up to current code.
Superintendent John Thissen expressed concerns at the school board meeting Monday night the layout of the elementary schools does not allow staff to monitor school visitors adequately.
Team members also suggested not building a new school, but renovating all the existing schools.
Chris Nichol, team member, balked at this idea, saying the cost of renovating Lincoln would be greater than building a new school.
Wade concurred, “Do you really think the voters would go for putting $10 million into a 100-year-old-building?”
Justin Dempsey, member of the public, expressed concern about the elimination of neighborhood schools.
Wade said an earlier analysis of student demographics indicated students were already crisscrossing the city to attend schools.
The Vision Team will discuss possible options for renovations at the high school and middle school at its next meeting, which will be May 16.
For more information on the bond planning process, follow the district on Facebook at Hays Unified School District 489, on Twitter @USD489 or go to the district’s website at www.usd489.com.