One of the most important jobs of a school district is to ensure that school facilities remain safe and secure. It is also imperative that these same facilities meet the educational and instructional needs of not only current students and staff, but those of the future. The district realizes the importance of doing all of this while also being fiscally responsible with district funds and taxpayer dollars. Proposition Cardinals allows the district to not only enhance the safety and functionality of our facilities and support our staff, but it also allows us to do so without increasing the tax levy. Today we take a look at how we got here, and what projects would be completed with the approval of Question 1 and Question 2 on April 2.
To ensure that buildings remain safe and meet the needs of students and staff, the district has taken an in-depth look at buildings and facilities. This process began a year ago by gathering information on the needs of all facilities from administration and staff. This information provided valuable insights into the benefits and challenges that the buildings present to those who use them every day. A Facilities Assessment was also conducted by Incite Design Studio. This assessment took an in-depth look at current facilities, provided data on the functional and maximum capacity of buildings, and proposed potential solutions to the current and future needs of all facilities. Last fall, community members were also provided a list of identified needs and asked to provide input. Using all of this data, administration and the board of education worked together to determine a list of projects for Question 1, the proposed $14 Million Zero-Tax Levy Increase Bond. The District believes that the proposed bond projects are necessary to keep our schools safe and improve our students’ learning environments, while also protecting and enhancing the investment our community has made in our facilities through the years. If passed on April 2, Question 1 would allow the district to complete the following projects without an increase to the overall tax levy (additional information on each project is available on our website, www.clintoncardinals.org).
Clinton Middle School (much of the work will occur in this building, at 63 years old it is the oldest building in the district and did not receive any improvements during the last bond project)-Building settlement repairs, restroom updates/construction of additional student restrooms, construction of three (3) additional classrooms, parking lot repair, gym accessibility upgrades, and improvements to the functionality of the band room
Clinton High School - Secure entry improvements
Henry Elementary School - Inclusive playground equipment, cafeteria upgrades, and student restroom upgrades
Clinton Early Childhood Center - Inclusive playground equipment, lead paint removal on exterior of building, and cabinet/counter repair
Clinton Intermediate School - Construction of student restrooms, parking lot expansion, improved traffic flow for car rider pick-up and drop-off, and drainage repair between Henry and CIS
Clinton Technical School - Classroom furniture and parking lot repair
District-Wide - Replace football field turf to meet safety requirements, resurface track, pay-off Energy Performance Contract, and HVAC/roof repairs
While Question 1 addresses the needs of our buildings and facilities, Question 2 addresses the needs of our hard-working and dedicated staff members, also without an increase to the overall tax levy. Addressing teacher and staff pay to make the district salary schedules more comparable to area districts, is an issue of importance identified by both school staff and the board of education. While the district makes efforts every year to retain and recruit highly-qualified staff, the long-term solution requires the district to offer more. If approved on April 2, Question 2 would allow the district to transfer $.15 from the debt service levy to the operating levy, generating $425,000 to support staff with salary and wage increases, without an impact on the tax levy.
Next week we look forward to sharing more detailed information on how zero-tax levy increase school bonds and levy transfers work. As we approach the April 2nd election, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the district with any questions you might have. Feel free to stop by Central Office, send an email to bwishard@clintoncardinals.org, or call us at 660-885-2237.
