[Editor's note: This is the second installment of the Monroe School District informational series regarding the upcoming bond measure, Proposition No. 1, which will be on the April 28 ballot.]
The 2015 bond measure would enable the district to accomplish a list of capital facilities projects that would extend districtwide, with no estimated bond tax rate increase. Meant to enhance school safety, modernize the educational environment and increase capacity, new additions would be built, specialty classrooms constructed and several schools would be renovated to support a construction model that features interior hallways with a single point of entry.
Currently, property owners pay $1.48 per $1,000 of assessed property value, an amount that is not expected to increase should the bond measure pass. This is possible because, in 2016, all of the district's existing bond debt will be paid off.
If approved by voters, a renewal of the existing tax rate could generate $110.9 million, also enabling the district to qualify for approximately $21.3 million in state construction assistance. An additional $640,000 in developer-paid mitigation fees are anticipated, which are collected by the City of Monroe when new homes are built. A total of $132 million in improvements could be accomplished if the bond measure were to pass.
It has been more than a decade since the district successfully passed a bond measure.
The proposed projects were identified during a 13-month process that began in 2013. To aid in the process, the district formed a volunteer-based capital facilities steering committee and conducted multiple listening tours to get additional community input. Maintaining the current tax rate was identified as a key aspect of the bond proposal.
This week, the focus is on the improvements that would occur at Frank Wagner Elementary School (115 Dickinson Road) and Salem Woods Elementary School (12802 Wagner Road).
Salem Woods Elementary School -á-á-á-á-á-á
Located near Wagner Lake, off of Woods Creek Road, Salem Woods Elementary School was built in the 1980s. The prospective design of the school is still very conceptual, but the main priorities would be modernizing aging heating and ventilation systems and increasing capacity and security.
"Like Park Place, all the doors open to the outside,GÇ¥ said Monroe School District Superintendent Ken Hoover. "You can literally walk up to a door of a classroom and be there before anybody knows you're there.GÇ¥
As the oldest elementary school that has never been upgraded, it can be a challenge keeping the school at moderate temperatures during the fall and winter months. The heating and ventilation system is nearly 35 years old, and when there are mechanical difficulties, finding parts can be problematic, if not impossible. There has been at least one situation in which a specific part needed to be made because it was no longer available.
"Throughout all the time that you're trying to find or make the part, there's a severe disruption to the heat and the comfort of those children,GÇ¥ said Monroe School District Director of Communications Rosemary O'Neil. "Children should be focusing on learning their times tables or their grammar rules, not on trying to keep warm.GÇ¥
A total of $23.5 million in improvements would take place at Salem Woods Elementary School, a number that includes an estimated $4.3 million state match. Construction would begin in 2018, after a design process that would include input from staff, families, students and the community.
Early discussions hope the new school design would bear similarities to Fryelands Elementary School. Initially, the current gym and kitchen area would remain intact, while a new two-story classroom addition was built, featuring a single point of entry, with interior hallways. Due to the availability of finances, the district hopes to phase the project so that a new gym and kitchen area could be constructed at a later point in time.
"We plan to build some additional classrooms GÇô more than we have currently GÇô because, as we're growing as a community, we need a place for growth,GÇ¥ Hoover said. "Much of that growth is north of Highway 2, near where Salem Woods is located.GÇ¥
Currently, approximately 460 students attend Salem Woods.
Frank Wagner Elementary School
Frank Wagner Elementary School, near downtown Monroe, would also undergo new construction if the bond measure were to pass. Similar to Salem Woods, enhancing security and increasing capacity are major priorities at Frank Wagner, which currently serves approximately 560 students.
The school is now operating above capacity. This necessitates the use of eight portable classrooms that open directly to the outdoors, akin to the exterior hallways at Salem Woods, with similar concerns about safety and security. Additionally, students must travel by foot to visit specific areas, including the school library, computer lab and other classes, which are located in the Wagner Center.
"One of the things we've heard from teachers is that they've counted it up and they actually lose an hour a week in instruction time shuttling kids back and forth between campuses,GÇ¥ Hoover said.
If passed, the bond funding would enable the district to replace the portables with permanent classrooms and relocate the library, computer lab and other classrooms to the main campus. The preliminary idea is for a two-story structure to be constructed in what is currently an open courtyard area. The new building would tie everything together, creating a single point of entry for visitors and students, who would navigate the school via interior hallways.
"Students would only leave the building to go to P.E. or lunch,GÇ¥ Hoover said.
Similar to Salem Woods, the design ideas are currently strictly conceptual. If the bond is approved, the district plans to undergo an interactive design process involving parents, students, staff and the community. A total of $14.9 million in improvements would take place at Frank Wagner Elementary if the bond measure was successful.
For more information on the 2015 bond measure, visit www.monroe.wednet.edu/PAGES/ELECTION_INFO_PAGES/election-info2015.html.
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