— by Margie Doyle —
School District Superintendent Eric Webb explains the discussion process to participants at the Phase III school bond meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 21
The school cafeteria buzzed with hive-like activity as OPAL Executive Director Lisa Byers moderated a community forum about proposals for a “Phase III Bond” for the Orcas Island School District (OISD).
After OISD Superintendent Eric Webb Webb acknowledged Board members Janet Brownell and Greg White, District Administrative Assistant Cathy Ferran, Phase II Bond Project Manager Liz LeRoy, table moderators and school Principals Kyle Freeman (Middle/High School), Lorena Stankevich (Elementary School) and Becky Bell (OASIS Principal and Special Education Director), he then introduced the discussion with historic background. Liz LeRoy described the 18 projects listed and took questions from the participants. The total budget for completion of all 18 projects is projected at $12.4 million, which includes about 40 percent in “soft costs” such as design, permitting and contingency funding.
Webb then introduced Lisa Byers as Moderator for the forum. She described the scenario as each table conducting itself as if they were board members, with the designated moderators acting as the board chair. Byers explained a “game board” activity for the table attendees to work together to rank the $12.4M worth of projects, and to determine the $5M mark, the $8M mark, and so on.
Byers shared three ground rules for the forums:
1) Encourage “industrial strength listening,” which “may be more important than speaking”
2) Share the air
3) Seek ideas for the highest good
Then, for over an hour, individual tables spoke about and prioritized the projects. Moderators guided each table, and the “game board” was used to illustrate each table’s findings. At the close of the meeting, each table moderator reported to LeRoy, who will compile the results.
The 18 items on the baseline list of projects for the district, including the site itself and Waldron Island. Administration offices were decided to be low priority at this time and are not included on the list:
The projects discussed in the Community Forum were:
- Health 1 Mechanical: Elementary and High School equipment replacement $500,000
- Health 2 High school water improvements: Plumbing, sanitary sewer, fire sprinkler upgrades $225,000
- Safety 1 Campus-wide: Flexible spaces, shelving, electronic doors, lighting $225,000
- Academics 1 New Classroom/ Music Room (2,300 sq. ft.) $1,750,000
- Academics 2 Remodel Existing Classrooms: Enlarge and create flexible learning areas $500,000
- Athletics 1 New Track and Field Project (Total Project is $2,000,000/Private Donation of $1,000,000) $1,250,000
- Athletics 2 New Weight Room and classroom addition (1,500 sq ft) $1,250,000
- Milton 1 Interior: finish upgrades including paint, flooring, finishes $725,0000
- Milton 2 Window replacement $500,000
- Milton 3 Infrastructure and exterior improvements $125,000
- Old Gym 1 Exterior, Equipment, flooring improvements: siding replacement, paint, roofing low slope roofs, locker room,/bleachers/ floor/infrastructure $1,000,0000
- Old Gym 2 Interior Remodel Energy upgrades, electrical, finishes and acoustical improvements $2,000,000
- Old Gym 3 South Elevation Improvements: Add new exterior windows, enhancy canopy and courtyard improvements $500,000
- High School interior: Painting, carpet, tile, wainscot, restroom improvements, new exterior vestibule and wire glass $500,000
- Waldron Interior: Operable partition, paint, low slope roofing replacement $50,000
- Site 1 School Roadway improvements: replace School Road south of building 100– $125,000
- Site 2 High School Parking Improvements: new parking lots, replacement chip seal and/or asphalt $850,000
- Site 3 New Play Area, New Playground, Misc. including fencing bus area and loading area, new concrete wheel stops $350,000
Total Project costs, approximate estimate $12,425,000. (Costs are approximate and are in categories for use for Sept. 21st Community Forum outreach only. Costs include soft costs escalated until 2017).
Hillary Canty clarified that the $1M track donation was not a bequest, and that the donation has not been accepted yet by the school board. She further clarified that Robert Henigson did leave a separate bequest of $1.5M as endowment for the School District.
A board game template was used at each table to prioritize the items identified for funding in a proposed “Phase III” school district bond
Participants were encouraged to speak to Superintendent Webb, board members or LeRoy if they had questions or concerns that they felt were not addressed, including dissatisfaction with the conclusions of “their” table.
LeRoy will analyze the answers and send a message to discussion participants describing the findings of the overall group.
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It was a good meeting. Thanks to all who came, shared their beliefs and therefore furthered MY education.
I came thinking I was adamantly opposed to building a track-mainly because I knew there are so many other, and to me, more important issues. But as I listened to all at our table, I learned some things that were extremely important that I didn’t know previously.
1. Almost ALL improvements cost a lot to maintain over the years-not just a track. (of course, I knew maintenance costs-just not how much! Just painting costs blew my mind!!!!)
2. Many kids would use the track and most importantly, kids who are not inclined to be “team players” as most of the other sports require, could be encouraged to work hard and push their potential more. Self esteem is HUGE at this formative age and often affects everything else a growing child does later in life.
3. Something needs to be done about the cramped music room situation. Photos to the public, perhaps.
3. That no matter if one is for a track or not, everyone there had the one most important thing in common and that is what is best for the kids and therefore our community.
4. I still, however, can’t stray away too far from the safety issue of the deplorable road condition. That still is and remains a serious safety issue.
Orcas is so very blessed with our teachers and staff who “live” with our kids everyday. Both teachers at our table gave profound reasons improved music space as well as a track is important to our kids. I very much trust what they had to say.
We all know presentation of the bond will have an enormous impact on how the community votes. I know some folks who won’t vote for the bond if the track is in it. If they heard what I did about the kids and saw the wonderful drawn plans AND knew how much the maintenance would be, I think they may change their minds. Somehow, more information needs to reach the public. Not everyone is able or wants to attend these type of meetings but they still in fact, vote!
An idea might be to tell the public that some of the other money left by the Henigsons may be set aside for maintenance of a track.
And more articles in Orcas Issues like the wonderful one here(thank you, Margie!) will certainly help! Maybe even some photos of how jammed the music room is with all the kids and instruments, or the hole in the floor, or the much needed bathroom, etc.
Why can’t we have ads weekly on Orcas Issues (and elsewhere) of the needs of the school. Photos often impress folks more than statistic.
Just my two cents.
Maggie
Maggie, I am one of the people who was unable to attend the meeting, but I am also a conscious voter who studies the issues carefully. I have seenthe list of the 18 proposed expenditures. However, your comment gives real, descriptive reasons for the importance of both the track and the music room, and how these items could really effect the kids who would be be using them. It is these kinds of descriptions that I find valuable.