Members of the Monroe School District Board of Directors will be entering into the final phase of their online listening tour this week, and they want to invite the community to provide additional feedback.
The listening tour has been an effective means of providing the school board with community-driven data to help them determine the most efficient ways to continue improving the Monroe School District. In 2016, the district will have completely paid off the previous bonds used for projects including the construction of Monroe High School, Fryelands Elementary, Hidden River Middle School and renovating Maltby Elementary School.
This allows them the opportunity to go out for a new capital facilities bond measure in 2015 without incurring an increase in the current tax rate; the bond can be obtained by maintaining the current rate. Voter approval is required to support the continuation of any tax rate, and in order to pass, capital facilities bond initiatives must receive a 60-percent majority vote.
The school district has been amassing data continuously via the listening tour throughout both 2013 and 2014 so as to enable the school board to craft a viable capitol facilities plan that will most effectively meet the needs of the community. If the school board makes a definitive decision to move forward with the bond, the initiative would appear on the ballot in April of 2015.
The board plans to make their decision before the end of December.
The school district held over 40 "listensGÇ¥ in 2013, collecting input on what people perceive as strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges within the school district. A result of that tour was concern about the age and condition of the school's facilities, so the board asked for volunteers to form a Capital Facilities Steering Committee. Approximately 20 members of the Monroe community spent a year touring both the schools and school support facilities.
The committee developed a recommendation report which included the following nine priority projects: Modernizing Park Place Middle School, funding for small capital and major maintenance needs, consolidating and expanding Frank Wagner Elementary, expanding Hidden River Middle School, reducing the use of portable classrooms on a district-wide basis, constructing all-weather ball fields at Monroe High School, modernizing Salem Woods Elementary, relocating the administration building and purchasing property for current or future projects.
After strategic analysis of the nine priorities, the committee recommended that the board focus on six projects at this time: Park Place Middle School, small capital and major maintenance; Frank Wagner Elementary, Hidden River, portable reduction and the all-weather ball fields at the high school have been tentatively selected.
Using preliminary cost estimates, it was presumed that these six proposals would ensure the new bond would not include a tax increase, but only a continuation of the current rate.
"The committee felt that it was very important to talk to our community about their support for continuing the current bond tax rate,GÇ¥ said Monroe School District Communications Director Rosemary O'Neil.
Throughout 2014, over 50 in-person listens have been conducted, enabling the district to hone in on the steering committee's results to ensure that the level of priority on each item is consistent with priorities of the community. This analysis has included consistencies among the priorities, like modernizing Park Place Middle School, which is currently at the top of the list.
"It's kind of the most important project,GÇ¥ Monroe School District Superintendent Dr. Ken Hoover said of Park Place Middle School. "We only have two middle schools. All the kids funnel through our two middle schools and this one is the oldest.GÇ¥
In addition to improving electrical connectivity in classrooms, the buildings need energy efficiency and plumbing upgrades, among others. The district is visualizing a concept that would modernize the school so students would be under one roof and not have to walk outside between classrooms.
Another key project is expanding Hidden River Middle School to provide more classrooms oriented towards specialized courses like science and art. The expansion is critical to ensure that these specialized classes are available to students regardless of which middle school they attend.
"Mostly it's about making sure that those kids have the same opportunities,GÇ¥ O'Neil said. "Maybe not identical opportunities GÇô but equity in opportunities GÇô because middle school is so important. It's where kids find their passion.GÇ¥
Another consistent priority has been the reduction of portable classrooms across the district. Currently, they are using a total of 36 portables that serve over 900 students for part or all of their school day. Since it is not currently feasible for the district to remove all portables, the hope is to provide additional permanent classroom space to replace the oldest units.
Consolidating and expanding Frank Wagner Elementary School would enable the district to retire eight portables and eliminate the need for kids to attend classes across the parking lot in the Wagner Center.
The construction of all-weather ball fields at Monroe High School is another of the district's top priorities. Currently, students have to travel offsite to participate in certain sports because the fields behind the school have such poor drainage.
"It's not only good for the high school athletes who would be able to just go right out and have practice without having to travel, but it also offers an opportunity to our community because there are a lot of teams GÇô both adult teams and little league GÇô that could use those fields as well,GÇ¥ O'Neil said.
The school district has secured a grant from the Snohomish County Tourism Bureau to help facilitate the construction of the all-weather fields, and negotiated last year with Monroe City Council, which agreed to chip in up to $100,000 towards the project.
The online listening tour was devised as a way to achieve the highest level of community input.
"Not everyone can get to a meeting in the evening or the afternoon,GÇ¥ said O'Neil. "So we want to make sure we get their feedback as well.GÇ¥
All the feedback from the first phase of the online listening tour is being assimilated in preparation for the next phase which will help determine which six projects should be included in the bond measure.
"All those thoughts will be compiled,GÇ¥ O'Neil said. "All that time and effort by our community helps our school board go forward with the community's priorities.GÇ¥
The online listening tour will enter into its final phase this week, and community members will be given an opportunity to indicate their priorities on the thoughts offered earlier this fall.
In-person listening meetings can still be organized. By sifting through this final input from the community, the school district is hoping to present a well-rounded picture to the board with a goal of moving forward in a way that's consistent with the needs of the community.
The district will continue to facilitate additional discussions with the school board until Thanksgiving. To set up a face-to-face conversation with the board, contact Rosemary O'Neil at oneilr@monroe.wednet.edu or call 360-804-2503. For more information on the listening tour, please visit the school district's website at: http://www.monroe.wednet.edu/.
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment