The Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. board has authorized school officials to issue up to $306 million in bonds for several facility upgrades.
The school board voted on Monday to adopt a project resolution, preliminary determination resolution and reimbursement resolution for BCSC’s “Envision 2030” facilities plan. The vote was 6-1, with board member Jason Major voting against the resolution.
Major said that while he recognizes the need for renovations, he does not agree with certain aspects of the proposal and is concerned by the overall amount.
“I think that this is a very big deal,” he said. “This is an extreme amount of money.”
BCSC officials have proposed the following projects as part of the “Envision 2030” plan:
- A new westside elementary school.
- Renovations to remaining elementary schools (excluding Parkside and Schmitt, where work is already underway).
- Significant renovation at Northside Middle School and tech/equipment updates at Central Middle School.
- Additions and renovations to both Columbus North and East high schools to meet career and technical education demands.
- Physical education/extracurricular expansions at the two high schools to meet demands.
- Relocation of Bright Beginnings Early Learning Center to the R.L. Johnson Building, relocation of Columbus Virtual Pathway to the McDowell Education Center, and relocation of C4 Cosmetology to expanded space at East.
School officials have said that the projects are needed for a variety of reasons, such as growth on the city’s west side, a desire for updated learning environments and student demand for certain courses. They have also said that BCSC plans to avoid raising tax rates by timing debt from the new projects with the roll-off of existing debt.
While the school corporation had previously floated the idea of seeking a capital referendum for the work, the administration is no longer recommending this.
Assistant Superintendent of Financial Services Chad Phillips stated in a previous interview that BCSC doesn’t plan to issue all $306 million in bonds next year. Instead, they plan to meet with the board every fall to discuss assessed value, interest rates and which projects to prioritize.
“This is the only time the board will have to approve the actual issuing of the bonds,” he said at Monday’s board meeting. “…From a management standpoint, these projects need to be approved. We need to understand as a district that the board is supportive of moving forward with these projects so that we can plan how they’re going to be phased in over the next six years, because it is incredibly complicated, how each of those renovations is going occur at each of the elementary schools and how that would play in with when the 12th elementary is built.”
However, Major felt that BCSC should not commit to such a large amount up front and should instead work on facilities in smaller phases. He added that they should also pay more attention to issues such as lowering classroom sizes and hiring more teachers.
“What do we expect to see as an educational improvement?” he asked. “No facility has ever made students perform better. Student performance is tied very closely to teachers, teacher aids, parents, curricular material and, as I was reminded today, the amount of food that’s in their bellies when they start the day.”
On the other hand, board member Todd Grimes, who is a teacher in the Greenfield-Central Community School Corp., said that while the quality of teachers and staff “arguably matter the most in the proper education of kids,” buildings are also important.
“The reality is, times change and facilities do matter and need to be updated and kept relevant for the times and the needs of kids,” he said.
