Acknowledges Finches $100,000 pledge for the project
The Greene County Schools board of education didn’t initiate the proposal that has led to a $21.48 million bond referendum for a new high school and adjacent regional career academy, but members of the board want voters to know they’re all “on board.”
Discussion of progress made toward reaching goals set by the board in September was on the agenda for the work session preceding the regular meeting. The first goal set then was to assess the current facilities and a potential bond referendum.
Board member Dr Steve Karber updated the board on the efforts of the “Our Kids, Our Future – Greene County” grassroots committee that is promoting approval of the bond issue. Karber is a new member of the board and campaigned on his past experience as co-chair of the committee that promoted the Sept. 2016 bond referendum. He said he’s tried to be careful “not to cross the line of what I can do as a board member versus a community member enthusiastic about getting the bond passed.”
He said the committee knows the board voted to hold an election, “but are you all really behind it?” he asked.
Karber worked with superintendent Tim Christensen to write a resolution, which was added to the regular meeting agenda and approved unanimously.
The resolution stated, “The Greene Cunty CSD board of directors and administration want to publicly thank Chris Deal and Sid Jones, the Our Kids, Our Future – Greene County committee, as well as everyone that has played a part in the planning an will play a part n the promotion of the project to build a new HS, gymnasium, performing arts center, and regional center, and repurpose the existing HS as a 5-8 MS and district office. We are very excited about the wonderful opportunity for Greene County and the Greene County School District. We are in full support.”
During the work session, Christensen said OPN Architects has evaluated the middle school and current high school and provided cost projections of what it would take to update those buildings. The firm is also working on “master plans,” he said.
Karber said a schematic of the high school/career academy will be released “very soon,” but that actual planning of the buildings will not be done until after the April 3 referendum. Christensen said there will be a “general plan of what a building could look like.” The district newsletter that will be mailed next week will include a lot of information about the proposal, Christensen said.
Board member Steve Fisher has seen some of the plans for retrofitting the middle school, and he said he’s “excited” about them. The plan includes adding enough seating in the gymnasium to be able to hold middle school basketball and volleyball games there, and using the current industrial trades space as a wrestling room.
The practice just prior to adjourning a regular meeting is for board members to share positive thoughts. Fisher used that time to acknowledge the $100,000 pledge made earlier this week by Dick and Delores Finch for the career academy.
“I want to commend members of the public that came out and proposed that they’ll contribute to the new school project, the Finches. That’s awesome,’ Fisher said. Board president Mark Peters chimed in with “phenomenal.”
