USD 308 bond campaign outlines $109.5 million plan to build new middle school, repurpose buildings

A campaign representative for USD 308 told the Youth City Council on Aug. 28 that the school district plans to ask voters to approve a $109,500,000 bond on Nov. 4 to build a new sixth-through-eighth grade middle school, upgrade six elementary schools, create a dedicated pre-kindergarten center and repurpose existing district buildings.

The presenter said the district and a community steering committee developed the plan over three years, using surveys, 23 community meetings, seven focus groups and random telephone polling. The presenter said 79% of surveyed residents favored a middle school for sixth through eighth grades and that the final bond amount reflects community feedback about the level of tax increase residents would accept.

According to the presentation, the proposed spending breakdown is: $83,000,000 (about 75% of the total) for a new middle school; $15,000,000 for enhancements to six elementary schools; $5,000,000 to repurpose the second and third floors of HMS 8 for centralized student services (curriculum, administration, special education, IT and food services); and $4,000,000 to convert the first floor of HMS 8 into a pre-K center. The presenter also said the plan allocates a small amount (less than 2% of the total) to relocate baseball and soccer fields impacted by the new middle school site.

The presenter explained the district is “landlocked” (14 square miles) and that the district-owned site at 20 Third and Severance can accommodate the new school. The presentation said state aid would cover part of the cost so local taxpayers would pay approximately 83% of the bond cost after state support. The presenter said raising the bond and interest by 5 mills would cost the owner of a $100,000 house “less than $5 a month.”

The presenter described implementation steps if voters approve the bond: roughly 10 months for architectural drawings, bidding for construction, then about 18 months of construction after groundbreaking. The presenter said some projects would occur in phases and that work to open a Little Hawks childcare center is already underway, targeting January 2026 for opening.

Students in the room offered largely positive anecdotal reactions to the middle-school concept, saying a combined sixth-through-eighth grade building could ease transitions, give sixth graders access to band, choir and honors coursework and create stronger student–teacher relationships. Those remarks were public comment during the meeting and not formal endorsements by the council.

The presentation included historical comparisons: the presenter said a 2006 bond of $78.8 million would be the equivalent of $123 million today and argued the current proposal is smaller, noting interest-rate comparisons between 2006 and the present.

No binding action on the bond was taken by the Youth City Council during the meeting. The presenter asked students to talk with family members, check voter registration and consider volunteering with the “Vote Yes for Hutch Kids” campaign if they wished to support the ballot measure.

For more information, the presenter directed listeners to the Vote Yes for Hutch Kids Facebook page and campaign donation links.