Schools

District Applying for State Aid for Safety Projects

Money would finance 40 percent of security and safety projects.

The school district is hoping to save money on several safety and security projects by applying for aid from the state.

The Board of Education opted to apply for debt service aid from the state to finance 40 percent of the projects’ cost. The district had originally planed to apply for Regular Operating District grants for the funds.

“The district opted to take the 40 percent in the form of debt service rather than the ROD grants because the state has been assessing the district for a portion of the costs associated with their borrowing of the funds,” said Superintendent Ray Gonzalez. “By taking it in the form of debt service we don’t get the assessment.”

Find out what's happening in Waynewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The debt service would help finance safety and security improvements at every elementary school, George Washington and Schuyler-Colfax middle schools, and Wayne Valley and Wayne Hills high schools and new bleachers at Wayne Valley High School.

The local portion of the projects would be funded through a referendum.

Find out what's happening in Waynewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The exact improvements and projects vary somewhat from school to school, Gonzalez said.

The safety and security projects are part of the district’s Long Range Facility Plan. The state-mandated plan requires districts to comprehensively assess their building systems and identify which ones need to be replaced.

— Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Daniel Hubbard at Daniel.Hubbard@patch.com or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here