Southern Boone County School District will be renovating their schools if a bond issue is passed on Tuesday. If the bond is approved, the school will be given $7.5 million to upgrade their facilities. The district’s debt tax levy is estimated to increase by 15 cents per one hundred dollars of assessed valuation of real and personal property.
The district’s construction will include building a new gymnasium with a stage in the primary school. Southern Boone County District Superintendent Christopher Felmlee said the primary and elementary schools currently have to use the middle and high school’s facilities for community events. Eight new classrooms will also be added to the primary school, which Felmlee said will allow for smaller class sizes and accommodate students with special needs. Additional space will also allow the preschool and Parents as Teachers programs to be relocated to the primary school. Superintendent Christopher Felmlee said the expansion is needed due to the district’s growing enrollment.
“We’ve got so much growth that we really used all the capacity in our buildings where we’re out of classrooms,” he said. “So teachers are having to resort to even using closet space as instructional spaces for kids.”
The district also plans to build four new classrooms for the elementary school, which will also house special needs classes. The high school’s funds will be used to build a new weight room and locker room. As of now, Felmlee said some students are having to dress for sports in the school’s parking lot. He said the new locker room will keep students safer by keeping them from leaving the building.
Felmlee said he is hopeful that the bond will be passed.
“The district has huge support in the community and we’ve got great supportive parents and businesses in our school district,” he said. “I’m not taking it for granted, but the feedback that I’ve received from members of the community has been very very positive of the school.”
According to Felmlee’s blog, the construction is needed due to the district’s increasing enrollment. The district’s average annual growth is 2.39 percent