Columbia voters to decide on $20 million school bond to fund improvements to district
COLUMBIA — Columbia voters heading to the polls on Tuesday will be deciding on a $20 million dollar, no tax rate increase, school bond issue.
A pass of the bond will not require a tax increase, but instead only extend the debt payoff period.
Dr. Peter Stiepleman, Columbia Public Schools Superintendent, said the bond funds will be spent towards things like school building additions, renovations and safety enhancements.
The funds would be distributed accordingly:
- $7.5 million – Building addition to address continued growth in Columbia Public Schools
- $6 million – Jefferson Middle School renovation, including gym construction, elevator installation in the main part of the building, and ADA enhancements(total project is $12 million; $6 million will come from the 2018 voter-approved bond issue)
- $3.3 million – High school athletic field projects, including turf installation on practice fields at Battle, Hickman and Rock Bridge high schools
- $2 million – ADA enhancements and facility maintenance and improvements, including roofs, tuckpointing, HVAC and other critical projects
- $1 million – Safety and security enhancements, including construction of additional secure vestibule single points of entry for buildings that currently don’t have them in place
- $200,000 – Bond fees for issuing bonds
Stiepleman said the $7.5 million for building additions would likely go to either Battle or Russell Boulevard Elementary.
"It's expensive to build a new building, but when you build onto an existing building you're able to continue to use the individuals who are already in that building, as opposed to hiring an all-new principal, assistant principal, custodial, food services," Stiepleman said.
When it comes to ADA enhancements and security, Stiepleman said this is a priority moving forward.
"So you're going to see examples of additional secure vestibules and things like that at buildings, and we're trying to take care of accessibility because the school district is in compliance when it comes to ADA, but we're not fully accessible and we're trying to get a good move on that," Stiepleman said.
He said the bond is apart of a 10-year plan of advancements within the district.
"Really it's a question of the next generation and will the community consider the next generation that will follow and whether or not they're important, and I think they are and I think the community understands that," Stiepleman said. "It does take a vote to say yes."
To pass, the bond requires a 57 percent approval rate.
