Northwestern Consolidated Schools board discussing selling bonds to provide funding for several projects

Tuesday, July 11, 2023 at 5:18 AM

northwestern-consolidated-schools-board-discussing-selling-bonds-to-provide-funding-for-several-projects

FAIRLAND -- With a detailed list of projects that need to be completed, the Northwestern Consolidated Schools board continued to discuss the general obligation bond process that would infuse the school system with a sizable amount of funding.

At Monday’s July school board meeting, the details of how the bond process works were discussed and a public hearing will be held at the August meeting to receive community input. The final decision on the bond process will be made in September and, if approved, would provide the Triton Central school system with $6.1 million once the bonds are sold.

“Our board facilities committee met over the winter and identified a list of projects,” said Northwestern Consolidated Schools Superintendent Chris Hoke of what spurred the financial discussion.

The most pressing project at the top of the school system’s list is a new HVAC system at Triton Central High School, which also will have all of its windows replaced. The windows are original to when the school was built, according to Hoke.

“We will do the windows and the HVAC together,” he said. “That’s the big need.”

Another major project is installing a new basketball floor in the high school gymnasium. It too is original to the school’s construction and cannot be sanded down and refinished any more.

In addition, there are transformers that need to be moved at the elementary school and middle school.

“Just for safety reasons. We don’t want the transformers inside (the buildings),” said Hoke. “In 1960, that was common. It doesn’t make good sense now.”

Despite there being as many as 20 items identified by the facilities committee, Hoke anticipates the $6.1 million being more than enough to cover the costs.

“I think we will have money left over,” said Hoke. “We can take this issue now in 2023 and there is an opportunity to do a similar thing in 2025 and then in 2031 or 2032. If there is the ability to take a 2025 timeline project and move it into the 2023 project we would.”

In other board business Monday:

Approved the 2023-2024 student handbook. Hired 2015 Triton Central graduate James Polston as the Alternative Schools Supervisor. Polston also will join the high school girls basketball program’s coaching staff.

Get the most recent Shelby County Post headlines delivered to your email. Go to shelbycountypost.com and click on the free daily email signup link at the top of the page.