Elkhorn Valley Voters To Decide On $17.2 Million Bond

After nearly a year of discussing options to improve facilities at Elkhorn Valley, district residents will have a chance to vote on a proposed $17.2 million plan for a new 7-12 facility.

The Elkhorn Valley Board of Education voted last week to hold a special election in July on a bond that would improve current educational environment for its students.

According to Superintendent Keith Leckron, the board considered five different options.

• No Facility Changes
• Consider merging with other districts 
• New Junior High/High School Facility
• New PK-12 Facility
• New 7-12 Facilty

The fifth option was chosen as the best option, Leckron said. This option is a proposed $17.2 million addition to the current elementary school. As it currently stands, the elementary school houses the preschool through sixth grade classes. The addition would add space for the seventh through twelfth grade classes on to the site. This would include some renovations to the existing building as well as a potential wing just for the preschool and kindergarten classes.

The choice to add an addition to the elementary school was chosen after months of discussion between the school board and community members. The board chose the addition as the best option and then held community meetings to aid in the discussion. During these community meetings, straw polls were conducted with the community and the results showed that the addition was the most popular choice, Leckron said. The choice to build on a new site for the entire school system was also a popular option.

According to Leckron, the board wanted to be as transparent as possible throughout the process and he appreciates the opportunity to get the facts out to the families in the district.

"We want it to be a decision based on facts," Leckron said.

He said that it was important to the board to have the community involved as much as possible in the process as they want to do what is best for the students at Elkhorn Valley.

The bond issue was brought up because changes were needed to the junior high and high school facilities. With growing enrollment, Elkhorn Valley was running out of space and the buildings are beginning to show their age.

The current junior high and high school building consists of an original section that was built in 1913 and an addition that was built in 1922. Two additional metal buildings were added in the 1960s and currently house the Family Consumer Science classes, the Industrial Technology classes, and the kitchen and cafeteria. 

"First of all, we don't have air conditioning in the 1913 and 1922 facilities," Leckron said. "It gets into the upper 80s in August and September, and that is just not a good learning environment." 

The bond will also give the school district the opportunity to address the safety and technology available to the students. It will give an opportunity to update some things in the current elementary school that was built in 1987, as well as add new technology for the junior high and high school students. If passed, the current junior high and high school facilities would be demolished after completion of the addition.

A mail-in vote has been set, with a deadline to vote of July 12. It was decided to be a mail-in vote as the school district consists of families from four different counties. With a majority of the students living in Madison County, the Madison County Election Commissioner will be in charge of the voting process. Ballots will be sent out to all voters in the district approximately 20 days before the deadline, according to Leckron.

If the bond issue passes, the district would like to get to work on the changes as soon as possible. A bidding process will take place, allowing contractors and different construction companies the opportunity to get the rights to the job. This process could take several months according to Leckron, as they want to be as thorough as possible and find the right fit to stay within the $17.2 million dollar proposed budget. If everything goes as planned, Leckron stated an ideal starting timeframe would be in the late fall or early winter, weather permitting.

Leckron stated he "hopes the voters will do whats best for Elkhorn Valley Schools."