Dec 02, 2021

Hays bond committee discusses building new schools, bond costs

Posted Dec 02, 2021 12:01 PM
<br>

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

The Hays school district outlined three options for a bond issue at a meeting of educators, community members and administrators Wednesday night.

Each option includes building a new school. Ninety percent of district's educators and 86 percent of the district's community bond committee have said they favored closing Lincoln Elementary School and Rockwell Administration Center, which would require building a new school.

The district has not decided on any specific option, and all options are still open to changes.

All three options would include a new auditorium at the high school. They also would include larger classrooms.

USD 489 bond option 1. Build a new high school<br>
USD 489 bond option 1. Build a new high school

Option one includes building a new high school, moving the middle school into the renovated high school and renovating the middle school into a five-section elementary school.

O'Loughlin and Roosvelt Elementary schools would be renovated. Rockwell and Lincoln would be closed. Administrative offices would be relocated into the Wilson Elementary building, and Westside students would be relocated into existing district buildings based on their grades.

Cost estimate is $143.5 million over a 25-year bond. The cost per month on a $150,000 home would be $33.42.

The median cost of a home in Hays is $169,000.

The district bond counsel also calculated what the cost of each bond would be if a portion of the cost was paid for through a local sales tax. The cost for the new high school option with a sales tax would be $21.92 per month on a $150,000 home.

The district's architect and bond counsel also figured the cost for doing the bond work in two phases. However, each section of the bond would have to pass separately years apart.

All of the people surveyed at the meeting Wednesday night said they thought a single inclusive bond was more likely to pass.

USD 489 bond option 2. Build a new middle school<br>
USD 489 bond option 2. Build a new middle school

 Option two would include renovation of the high school, building a new middle school and renovating the middle school into a five-section elementary school. This option would then follow the same path in option one with the other schools.

Estimated cost for option two would be $139.1 million. The cost per month on a $150,000 home using property tax only would be $32.34. Cost with property and sales tax would be $20.84 per month.

USD 489 bond option 3. Build a new elementary school.<br>
USD 489 bond option 3. Build a new elementary school.

Option three would be to build a new three-section elementary school, and renovate the middle school, high school, Roosevelt, O'Loughlin and Wilson. Rockwell would be closed and relocated to Lincoln. Westside students would be relocated into existing district buildings based on their grades.

Cost of option three would be $123.1 million. Cost per month on a $150,000 home using only property tax would be $28.75. Cost with property tax and sales tax combined would be $17.25 per month.

Seventy-six percent of the attendees surveyed Wednesday night said they thought option one, which included a new high school, would be the mostly likely bond issue to pass.

Seventy-two percent of the attendees said they thought the district should consider using sales tax to help fund the bond project.

Ron Wilson, superintendent, said the Hays school district is one of the few districts in the state that does not receive state aid for bonds.

Hays has a 1.71 pull factor. That means for every $1 spent in the city, 71 cents is being spent by someone from outside of the city. Using sales tax revenue would mean people from outside Hays would help pay for the bond.

"We have to be creative how we leverage our resources in our community," Wilson said. "This is a way to get people from the outside to pay.

"This is how can we leverage every resource we can and we can be equal to other school districts in the state."

The Hays City Commission would have to approve the use of sales tax for a bond issue. It would also be a separate question on the ballot.

Shaun Musil, newly re-elected city commissioner, said he thought the school district should use sales tax for the bond.

Sarah Wasinger, executive director of the Hays Chamber, said the district tried to pass a bond that included sales tax before and it failed by the largest margin of any of the options offered in that bond vote.

The district is seeking further input on a bond from the community at large through a survey that is now available on the district's website and social media.

The district will also host a community bond forum at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 15 at the 12th Street Auditorium.