The Harlan Community School District Board of Education voted last week ,to request a special election on Dec. 11th for a referendum on a $28.5 million bond issue proposal and other school measures.  All five members present voted in favor.  The bond issue proposal is to issue a general obligation bond to finance renovations and updates at the district’s four school buildings. It would mean a property tax increase of $13.75 per month for the owner of a $100,000 home and $3.97 a year per acre of agricultural land.

The bond issue is one of four items district residents will be asked to vote on in the election. The other three are: Increasing the school levy from $3.25 to $4.05 per $1,000 of taxable valuation.  Renewing the instructional support levy, which expires in 2022, for an additional 10 years  Renewing the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy for another 10 years.  So far, the district has kept tax rates reasonable, with one of the lowest school levies in the state.

The three main areas of the bond issue project would be Updating security at all four schools, updating or replacing the HVAC, plumbing, electrical and technology systems, and creating educational spaces for 21st Century learning.  Secure entrances would be created at all buildings, and all visitors would be screened by a receptionist or other staff member before admission. The biggest share of the work would be complete renovation of the high school and intermediate school facilities, the district’s oldest school buildings, which date from 1970 and 1965, respectively. Those two schools contain 55 percent of the square footage in the district’s facilities. The middle school was built in the 1980s, and the primary school was new in 2010.

High school work would include renovation of all classrooms, the auditorium, fine arts area, science lab and career and technical education area. The intermediate school, which serves students in third through fifth grades, would get a small addition where classes displaced by the project could meet. That would then become an area for hands-on learning. Existing space in the intermediate school would be renovated.  Classrooms in both buildings would be arranged to facilitate 21st Century learning.