The overview
In pitching the bond to the public, district officials tied to the bond a number of facilities upgrades, which they often described as high-priority needs.
At the district’s Nov. 14 meeting, Assistant Superintendent of Support Services Paul Miller gave a brief overview of what officials will be working on next within the new bond.
To start, the district will use some of its funds to cap off previous projects, which will include buses, elementary school chillers and classroom furniture, according to district documents.
Next, officials will work toward designing and bidding the elementary central plant project for six different elementary schools, according to district documents. That project will involve new chillers being installed to help regulate the schools’ temperatures.
The design contract was approved at the district’s Nov. 13 meeting, and the bids will be received in December, documents show. The hope is that the chillers will arrive in time to install in summer 2024.
What else?
While Miller laid out just a couple of upcoming projects, there are a number to come, according to district documents.
Projects related to school infrastructure, such as a new secured vestibule at Bay Elementary School and new cameras and security upgrades, are part of the plan in the coming months and years.
Other plans include $2.9 million for a new access road, flooring and lighting upgrades at multiple schools, and technology infrastructure upgrades, according to district documents.
How we got here
The district had two bond propositions on the Nov. 7 ballot: one totaling $265 million for facilities upgrades, and another for $37 million for technology upgrades.
The unofficial results, according to district documents, are as follows:
- The $265 million bond received 18,047 votes in favor, or 55.49% of the vote, and 14,475 votes against, or 44.51% of the vote.
- The $37 million bond received 17,577 votes in favor, or 54.06% of the vote, and 14,939 votes against, or 45.94% of the vote.
Originally, a committee recommended $614 million in total upgrades, the bulk of which was deferred to a possible future election. There is no timeline on when, or if, the remaining bond funds will go up for a vote.
