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School to examine how to fund building improvements, repairs and renovations
Voters in Liberty County this week voted against a pair of $3.1 million bonds Chester-Joplin-Inverness Public Schools put on the ballot for building improvements, repairs and renovations.
The bonds would have raised taxes annually for those with a $100,000 home by $51.83 per year for those who live in both the elementary- and high-school districts, or $103.66 for a home worth $200,000.
CJI Superintendent Tim Bronk said the schools have a variety of projects that these bonds would have paid for that will now need to be stretched out over several years and paid for through their normal budget or some other source.
Among the most immediately pressing issues is the roof over the school's science wing, which has several leaks and has been having issues for years now. Bronk said they've been making repairs when needed, but it needs to have serious work done, work that would cost around $150,000.
Another big project was the concession area of the football field which is very old, consisting of little more than a metal frame and a tin exterior. He said the bleachers in front of it are also starting to succumb to dry rot, which is a big problem.
A number of the other projects also have to do with the school athletics including the project to renovate the main gym, which needs new floors, baskets, scoreboards and sound systems. He said work also needs to be done on the bleachers, which are getting a bit rickety, and all together the project would cost around $400,000.
Bronk also said the school had to close the wrestling practice room a while back due to mold issues, which they would have been able to address with the bonds to hopefully get it running again, something that would help alleviate some scheduling issues for athletics as well.
He said the school's weight room is also pretty small and isn't accessible for many people with disabilities.
Disability access is another big issues he said he was hoping to address with these bonds including putting in an elevator so students can access the upper level of the high school, and address a locker room built back in the 1930s that doesn't meet modern standards for accessibility or fire codes.
He said the front entrance also has accessibility issues he'd like to address, on top of various improvements to the foyer area.
Bronk said the buildings are old enough that they've been grandfathered in under the Americans with Disabilities Act, so they probably aren't in any trouble from a legal perspective, and so far they have been able to accommodate students with disabilities by moving teachers around and things like that.
However, he said, they could always get a student or a teacher that they can't accommodate with their current buildings and that's not something he wants to see.
In general, he said, he's disappointed the bonds didn't pass, believing the school did a good job communicating how important many of the projects are, having sent out flyers and held an informational meeting that drew more then 120 people.
Bronk said he's happy so many people participated in the election, with 68 percent of ballots having been returned, but he does wonder why so many people voted against the bonds, whether it's because of the state of the economy or the agriculture industry so many people in area are part of.
Regardless of the reason, he said, the school will be putting together a priority list of what projects to work on first and looking into how to fund them.
Other district elections
Havre Daily inadvertently left out results from the election at Rocky Boy schools in the story Wednesday. In that election, Paulette Standing Rock won a three-year term with 31 votes. Lenore Myers received 28 votes, Ross Thomas Limberhand received 10 votes and Kenneth Standing Rock received eight votes.
The Big Sandy School District provided election results after press deadline Wednesday, In that election, a general fund levy passed 194-123 and Brad Weaver won a three-year term on the board by acclamation.
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Havre Daily News managing editor Tim Leeds contributed to this report.
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