Schools

Proposed School Referendum Would Cost $12 for Average Homeowner

Multi-faceted $5.1 million project would upgrade several security and safety measures in the district.

Officials are considering going out for a possible $3 million bond referendum to fund a massive safety and security upgrade project covering the district’s 14 schools.

Superintendent Ray Gonzalez discussed the project at a Board of Education meeting last Thursday.

Several security features and measures would be upgraded or replaced if the plan is approved. New photo identification, card access, and video/intercom systems would be installed at eight schools, along with new surveillance systems, exterior and interior doors, and fire alarm systems.

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Security vestibules and additional motion sensors would be installed in several buildings and main offices could be relocated.

The district’s facilities department conducted an internal audit of the schools’ safety measures and recommended several changes and improvements be made to increase security.

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‘There were a lot of things my staff spotted and the only way to take care of them is with capital improvements or through the budget,” said John Maso, the district’s facilities director. “We do have a burglar alarm in each school but there is a need for more sensors.”

The existing intercom systems at Schuyler-Colfax Middle School and Lafayette Elementary School are nearly 50 years old. Several elementary schools and two middle schools have “no video surveillance capability,” according to the presentation. There is no backup emergency generator at Wayne Valley High School.

The district has submitted 13 project applications to the state for approval.

The projects have a price tag of more than $5.1 million. The district has applied for a state grant to cover 40 percent of the projected costs, approximately $2 million. The remaining $3.1 million would be financed through the district’s operating budget and a bond referendum if approved by the public.

The district would pay the bond back over a 15-year period at a 3.5 percent interest rate.

The bond would cost the average homeowner one-half of one cent for every $100 of assessed value or about $11.79 annually. The average Wayne home is valued at $228,800.

Gonzalez that because the district refinanced its debt earlier this year, a move that saved $3.3 million through 2024, the net debt service of the proposed referendum would be less than the amount saved each year through the refinancing term.

— 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.


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