By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
If the district could pass just a small bond, it would free up money in the capital outlay budget for other needs in the district, Hays USD 489 Superintendent John Thissen told the school board at its meeting Monday night.
The school board last month heard a proposal for a $29.4 million bond from its architect and construction manager. The plan included HVAC repairs at Hays High School, expansion of the cafeteria at Hays Middle School and renovation and repairs at Roosevelt Elementary School with expansion of the school to accommodate five sections of each grade.
The plan would allow the district to close Lincoln Elementary School, which is more than 90 years old and has significant infrastructure issues.
“The question is could this set the stage for some possibilities in the future?” Thissen said.
The heating and cooling systems at both Roosevelt and HHS need to be addressed very soon, Thissen said. If those projects were paid for through a bond, money dedicated to those projects in the current capital improvement plan could go to repairs that are needed at Wilson and O’Loughlin elementary schools.
“If you were able to walk away from another building, not just what has already happened with Washington and Munjor, but also walk away from Lincoln Elementary,” Thissen said, “once again you have buildings that have existing needs and you would be able to say we are not going to put money into those buildings and that money can be redirected.”
Thissen said the district could propose a bond just to make repairs, but it could end up investing hundreds of thousands of dollars into buildings the district ends up walking away from in just a few years.
“There are times when you live in a home long enough that you end up saying, ‘Is it worth the money to dump money into it or do you look for a new home?” he said.
Thissen said this plan does make repairs, but it takes the district one step forward toward the future with the expansion at Roosevelt.
Board member Paul Adams said he wanted to know what projects the district could do if it could redirect the approximately $6.7 million that had been budgeted for repairs of the HVAC system at HHS, as well as what could be done if repairs at Roosevelt were rolled into a bond.
“You are right,” Adams said to Thissen. “It is not just this work, but the work to the whole physical plant of the district. But I don’t really have a good sense of what that looks like. That comes back to some of what we have talked about — what’s our long-range planning?”
In November 2016, the board considered hiring a firm to complete a long-range facilities plan. However, the board decided not to move forward with that contract. Thissen said the board could revisit hiring a firm to do a long-range facilities plan.
However, a long-range plan would have to be altered if the district had a catastrophic failure in one of its systems, for example the HVAC at Roosevelt.
Adams said this latest proposal takes care of some of the district’s highest priority needs.
“Whether we move things around or do something with another building, we have to take care of the physical building we now call the high school. We have to get the HVAC. We need to take care of the needs at Roosevelt and repair it. The plan in place looks good, just also give me an idea of where we will realize the money we would have put to the high school. … You’re not just doing one project. That vote is actually several projects.”
Board member Mandy Fox said she would to like the same information on long-range capital improvements. She said she thought the next step is to present the project to voters to get their feedback.
Board member Lance Bickle wanted to make sure any bond proposal would keep the cost within what surveys have said voters are willing to pay per month in a tax increase. He also noted voters have indicated they want a much shorter term than the 30-year bond that was proposed in the last bond issue.
Board member Greg Schwartz said he did not support the plan. He said he did not think it fit with the concept the board had discussed seven months ago that would have reduced the number of elementary schools from four to two. He said he wanted to know more about the cost savings that could be achieved by consolidating into two elementary schools.
“I think throwing out bonds without a plan, we are going to get the same results we have always gotten,” Schwartz said.
Thissen said there are districts that do 20-year plans, but they are usually large districts that are growing. Smaller districts, such as Hays, typically complete projects as they can.
“The issue of putting together a big plan is fantastic,” he said, “but, at some particular point, some people are going to have to start.”
The board is not scheduled to discuss the bond again until late March or early April.
In other business, the board:
• Designated board members Mike Walker and Lance Bickle and Interim Director of Finance Keith Hall as agents for teacher negotiations with board member Sophia Rose Young as an alternate.
• Adopted the five-year capital outlay resolution. The levy will remain at 8 mills.
• Approved administrative contracts for building level administrators
• Reviewed the 2019-20 school calendar.