by Dr. Travis Shaw
Springfield Public Schools has invested more than $420 million since 2019 to improve quality learning environments and make all schools safer for students and staff. This work was guided by community input, a facility master plan and the district’s strategic plan. To review facility needs and help prioritize projects, the Board of Education enlisted parents and community members representing all five high school feeder patterns to serve on a Community Task Force on Facilities. As Missouri’s largest school district, SPS has over 4.5 million square feet of facilities to maintain. The condition of these facilities were evaluated in 2016 as part of the district’s facility master plan study. The Community Task Force spent months evaluating this information and other data provided by administration to develop recommendations for the Board of Education to request bond funding in 2019.As a result, the Community Task Force recommended a $168 million bond issue that consisted of an $0.18 debt-service levy increase, which voters passed with a 65 percent approval rating. It focused on safety and security enhancements by building two storm shelters and adding secured double entry vestibules at over 30 schools. It also included renovation and/or new construction of one early childhood center, five elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. Every school that was renovated or built new also included a storm shelter. Through sound fiscal management and a positive financial market, SPS was able to complete a total of $190 million worth of projects, all completed within four years.
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Springfield Public Schools has invested more than $420 million since 2019 to improve quality learning environments and make all schools safer for students and staff. This work was guided by community input, a facility master plan and the district’s strategic plan. To review facility needs and help prioritize projects, the Board of Education enlisted parents and community members representing all five high school feeder patterns to serve on a Community Task Force on Facilities. As Missouri’s largest school district, SPS has over 4.5 million square feet of facilities to maintain. The condition of these facilities were evaluated in 2016 as part of the district’s facility master plan study. The Community Task Force spent months evaluating this information and other data provided by administration to develop recommendations for the Board of Education to request bond funding in 2019.As a result, the Community Task Force recommended a $168 million bond issue that consisted of an $0.18 debt-service levy increase, which voters passed with a 65 percent approval rating. It focused on safety and security enhancements by building two storm shelters and adding secured double entry vestibules at over 30 schools. It also included renovation and/or new construction of one early childhood center, five elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. Every school that was renovated or built new also included a storm shelter. Through sound fiscal management and a positive financial market, SPS was able to complete a total of $190 million worth of projects, all completed within four years.
For the complete article, Subscribe to the UniteNews Magazine. 25$ for one year.
