Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. board members agreed to issue the second round of bonds as part of the district’s facility renovations initiative and finalized the maximum price for the new westside elementary school, which came in nearly $3 million under budget.
School board members agreed to issue $72 million in bonds as part of the Envision 2030 plan on Monday night, and reapproved the building corporation that issues the bonds. BCSC is issuing bonds every year at an amount that is tax-rate neutral, BCSC officials said, and comes after they issued the first $44.1 million last year.
The latest bond issuance is to continue renovation and construction at Northside Middle School and Columbus East High School, as well as Smith, Mt. Healthy, Maple Grove and Taylorsville Elementary schools. It will also allow the district to start renovation work at Richards and Southside Elementary schools.
School board members in December 2023 authorized district officials to issue up to $306 million in bonds for Envision 2030. BCSC officials have emphasized all along that the projects are able to be completed tax-rate neutral, meaning the community’s tax rates are not increasing due to the projects.
The bond issuance, resolution reapproving the building corporation and guaranteed maximum price for Maple Grove were all approved 5-1, with Jason Major, District 1, voting against all three.
The finalized guaranteed maximum price for Maple Grove is $56.5 million, more than $3 million less than the budgeted $59.8 million.
Maple Grove is the school corporation’s 12th elementary school and the first since Clifty Creek in 1982. It’s to accommodate the city’s continued expansion to the west and south and BCSC officials said it will free up space in the other 11 elementary schools for high-quality STEM instruction and flexible learning areas. This includes student common spaces and wellness support centers, as well as locations for specialized staff like occupational, physical and speech therapists.
Construction on the school starts this month and redistricting efforts will take place in late 2026 into 2027. Maple Grove will be open for classes in time for the 2027-28 school year.
The design of the school by Boston-based Höweler + Yoon was funded through the Cummins Architecture Program. Höweler + Yoon was chosen to design the school after a competitive process in 2024.
Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations Brett Boezeman said he was recently asked if having a world-renowned architect like Höweler + Yoon design the building makes it more expensive.
“The answer is no,” Boezeman said. “For the size of a building that we’re going to build here— $60 million is about $60 million in Evansville versus Fort Wayne versus somewhere else.”
Major voted against all three in keeping with his repeated belief that the district doesn’t need another elementary. He also made his contentions known about how the $72 million of principal that was issued doesn’t explicitly mention an additional $36 million in financing.
BCSC Treasurer Jamie Bringear pointed out later that the financing does come before school board members when the district makes debt service payments.
Major went on to mention a June Indiana School Boards Association (ISBA) event he attended where he heard that “the state of Indiana has a downward, declining overall enrollment in schools” adding that “I just think it’s prudent to bring that up now again, as we talk about spending a significant amount of money on a new school, when both the state and the ISBA event and our own demographic studies show future decline in enrollment.”
Superintendent Chad Phillips followed up to note that “Envision 2030 projects, including the 12th elementary school, are not built for the sole purpose of accommodating increases or even flat enrollment.”
The bonds will be sold sometime in late September when assessed value figures come in.
