Bond questions taken by Superintendent

The last in a planned series of public information sessions regarding the school bond issue on the November 5th ballot was held at the Soda Springs High school auditorium last week.  The meeting was attended by both supporters of the school bond, as well as those who were more skeptical about it.  Overall, there was a large degree of consensus expressed about the need for a new school, but some reservations about the way the bond was designed itself.

Superintendent Scott Muir gave a brief overview of the bond to begin the meeting, and then opened the floor to questions.  By way of overview, Muir explained that the bond had been necessitated by the physical state of Soda Springs high school, which had passed the end of its expected structural life.  The building was originally constructed in 1959.  A facilities survey conducted within the last ten years found that the building had a number of serious issues that represented potential safety and viability problems.  Problems with the HVAC system, as well as the building’s tangled web of layers of internet cabling, are functions of a building past its intended expiration date.  

The new building, which has been bid at $44.8 million, would have updated infrastructure, safety, accessibility, technology, and security features.  It would also contain more classrooms and classroom space, and therefore the ability to host more students in the future.  Growth estimates for the city trend upward in the near term, based on the capacity of planned housing developments and other factors.  The bond also includes the price of a new gym, though the legacy gym would be retained as it is deemed sound due to a relatively recent remodel.

The bond portion for additions to Thirkill elementary, which would be composed of classroom and gym construction, are responsible for another $10.3 million of the proposed bond.  The additions would allow the fifth grade classes (who are currently attending Tigert Middle School) to return to the elementary.  It would also provide a dedicated gym to the building, which currently has a mixed-used cafeteria, activity room, gymnasium.  

One question raised during the meeting was why the bond was not separated out in order to lower the cost and deal with one problem at a time.  The suggestion was that Thirkill, for instance, could be handled first, and then the high school after the middle school bond (which currently has several years left) had been completed.  Or potentially, the high school could be taken on at a lower cost, and the elementary could be tackled when the funding was available.

In response, Muir noted that while the current bonding capacity was higher than the amount sought, it would be a strain on voters to be in a near-continuous state of seeking bonds for the various projects and it was advisable to try to account for both the high school and elementary school now if possible.  A companion issue was the constantly rising cost of materials and labor, as well as the attached inflation, which will make the future price tags for the same work higher as each
year goes on.

Questions about the bid for the school projects were raised as well, with some asking why the cost was higher on a per square foot basis than some other recently constructed facilities in the state. 

Muir stated that some of that was due to the rise in costs even from a couple of years ago when the projects in question were contracted, or the location they were built in.  While the square footage figures are not on the website, a calculator of the impact on taxable property can be found at sodaschoolsbond.org/tax-impact-calculator. The example given is that a taxable property value of $227,000 shown on an assessment notice would result in a monthly tax increase of $56.93.  

Much of the impact of the bond would be felt by large-scale commercial and industrial property owners, whose assessed value and property holdings are significantly higher than most residents.  Muir, however, acknowledged that all property owners would be affected, and that it was an important consideration in the upcoming vote.  

Due to the age and state of the high school, a new building will be necessary at some point in the future, regardless of whether this bond passes.  Muir explained that the district will pursue variations on the proposed bond in the upcoming cycles until they were able to get one to pass.  The issue of consolidation was raised again, as it has been any times over the years.  The school districts in Grace, Bancroft, and Soda Springs would all need to come to the table and begin work on a consolidation effort, which in the past has not proceeded very far.  However, the potential to pool economic and other resources makes it an appealing prospect to many.  

The bond requires a 2/3 vote of total votes cast, which is a high threshold. Information about the bond from the school district’s perspective can be found at sodaschoolsbond.org, and Superintendent Muir has invited anyone with questions to meet with him or contact him through the website or at the district office, (208) 547-3371.