by YES for Schools Committee

Why do we need this bond?

There are significant health and safety issues in virtually all of our school buildings and “bandaids” are no longer a responsible choice. There is an immediate need for investment in the future of our educational facilities.

Why is a bond of $27 million being proposed to provide for only 500 students?

Lifetime costs should be compared to lifetime number of uses. Over the life of the proposed buildings, there will be over $5 million daily uses of the school facilities on school days. With weekend, summer and community use – 10 million – only $2.70 per daily use.

Why can’t the school use the existing facilities in town?

It is not logistically possible during a 55-minute class period, and any expenses for private spaces would break the already stressed operating budget. In addition, there are federal and state laws and liability concerns that render this option impractical.

Why now? Why not wait?

Due to the serious health and safety issues that exist in our school facilities, the only prudent course of action is to correct them. Waiting will only add to the price tag and could have lasting impacts on the health or safety of our students and staff. We simply cannot afford to take that chance.

How will the district maintain the schools?

The District has hired a Facilities Manager who is developing a maintenance plan for the campus. The District has also increased the custodial and maintenance staff by 30 percent and is committed to building facilities that require less maintenance and that are made with durable, long lasting materials. Each new building will include an extensive maintenance and operations program.

What has the bond development process involved to this point?

There have been dozens of public meeting and workshops, numerous expert consultants, and extensively polling of the staff and community to determine the District’s needs, which led to the development of a comprehensive set of Educational Specifications and the hiring of the most experienced and qualified architects to help us develop the project.

Does the project include new programs and buildings?

No. The new construction will replace buildings that exist, but have reached the end of their useful life and must be torn down.

What about the Vocational Education building and the OASIS program?

The Vocation Education program already exists, with spaces in several buildings, which are being consolidated. OASIS is actually a separate, K-12 school, and is currently borrowing space from other District schools. The current OASIS enrollment would generate almost $14 million in state apportionment revenue for the District over the life of this bond.

How will this bond directly benefit the economy of our community?

The Board is actively working with the architects and local contractors to identify sub-projects, for which the district could hire local contractors under the ‘small works’ provision. Several have been identified, which could be scheduled as soon as the bond passes, even before design is completed. The School Board has applied to use the state’s General Contractor/Construction Manager (GC/CM) process, which will allow the District to hire a general contractor to begin working with the architect during the design phase, creating policies and identifying efficiencies that could potentially allow up to 30% of the work to go to local contractors. There will also be an indirect infusion to the local economy, as the contractors and crews spend money locally for subcontracting, equipment rentals, small purchases of supplies, meals, lodging, and other immediate expenses.

How can we be sure that the bond money will be spent as advertised?

The School Board has taken several recent actions to insure effective control of the bond budget. First, the Board has created a Capital Projects Advisory Committee, which will monitor the progress of the project and provide input. Second, they have passed two binding resolutions: the first requiring that the elements of the project be prioritized, so that bond spending will focus on those elements that are most important to the school and community, and the second guaranteeing that any money left when the intended projects have been completed, will be immediately used to pay down the bond and reduce the overall cost to the community.