Springfield schools look to bond issue for future

by Steven Diegel

SBJ Contributing Writer

It will all be decided April 7. And if the 23-cent bond issue on the ballot passes, Springfield Public Schools are ready to move on a plethora of construction and improvement projects.

Pending voter approval, bond revenues would provide an estimated $54.5 million toward improvement projects, renovations, additions and new buildings for 53 area schools and 60 sites.

"What it has to offer is long overdue," according to George Freeman, public information officer for Springfield Public Schools. "It will allow us to do some of the things that have been deferred for some years."

Planned construction for two new schools would consume an estimated $22 million of the funds. School officials hope to begin construction on a new high school to relieve overcrowding on the south side and replace an existing elementary school in west central Springfield which has become too rundown to continue operating.

"The new high school is the most expensive project planned by far," Freeman said. "Also the replacement of the main building of the McGregor Elementary School, which is old and dilapidated."

Specifics on either structure, including the overall size and number of classrooms would be determined later this year.

An estimated $19.75 million of expected revenues would also go toward on-site improvements and renovations for the schools. Masonry repairs, repainting and replacing exterior doors would be most common, but other concerns, such as roof repairs and additional parking, would also be addressed.

Freeman said that much of the necessary work is the result of deferred maintenance that has piled up in recent years due to lack of funding. Some projects were delayed so schools could comply with requirements in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

"Last summer we were required to install elevators in several schools to bring us into compliance with the ADA," Freeman said. "That is a lot of money, and meant we had to take it away from other projects."

The school system also plans to purchase 45 new buses to replace many of its outdated models, which are getting older and more expensive to maintain.

"Our bus fleet has an average age of over 11 years about twice what it should be so we are behind in replacing them," Freeman said.

Funds should become available as early as this fall, with planned construction and renovation projects beginning soon thereafter.

"Money should begin to come in this fall with the next property tax statement," Freeman said. "Projects would begin just as soon as we can get the design phase under way."

Freeman said he was excited about the prospects the funds would offer to the schools.

"I think it is long overdue," he said. "We could have asked for a lot more, but we realize this is already a lot of money to be asking for."

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