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Minds and Matter: K-5, 6-12 schools centerpiece to 15-year plan
by Kevin Hatfield, School Superintendent · Op-Ed · April 21, 2016
West Branch students, staff, families and community members deserve outstanding school facilities.
To meet education challenges, the district will need enhanced technology and flexible learning spaces for intellectually challenging, high-quality education. Most neighboring school districts and communities have already begun essential reinvestment efforts toward this goal.
In spring 2012, the Board of Education directed the superintendent to develop a 15-Year Master Facilities Improvement Plan and to provide periodic updates regarding the board and school district’s work in this area. In January 2014, the Facilities Advisory Committee provided the following recommendations (clarification, updates and considerations are shared within the recommendations here):
1. The School Board, administration and staff should implement the comprehensive 15-Year plan as developed by the FAC and and stakeholder input.
2. The “centerpiece” should be a two-building school district which requires eliminating the middle school.
3. The district should develop a 6th- through 12th-grade West Branch Junior-Senior High School.
4. The district should update Hoover Elementary to a Pre-K-5 learning center.
5. The plan should focus resources on building upgrades that support 21st-century teaching, learning and improved instruction. (This may mean reorganizing interior and exterior areas.)
6. The plan should be supported by phased-in funding projects using a combination of district PPEL and SSAVE funds (not General Funds) for short-term and long-term goals. (phases I and II: East and west parking lot expansions, Hoover locker rooms, preschool and main hallway restrooms, greenhouse improvements…) Phased-in work will help reduce money requested from voters.
7. The district should continue to work with city and housing developers to align roads near the high school. The committee understands the need to use city traffic studies and housing development plans to this end.
8. The district should plan for a successful bond referendum in the spring of 2016 or 2017. Note: General obligation bonds for the elementary school’s geothermal system will conclude in June 2018. This will reduce the District’s total tax levy by a minimum of $1.21 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. The superintendent, business manager and school board should manage the timing of these two bonds.
9. The long-term building improvements should have an immediate impact on student and staff safety, learning and programming.
10. The building plans should include flexible learning spaces that support technology enhanced, 21st-century programming and accommodate projected enrollment and programming needs.
11. The long-term plan should not be viewed as a plan for reducing staffing levels, but work for efficiencies from reorganization and needed enrollment adjustments to meet learning needs.
12. The eventual elimination of the middle school is needed to create a safe parental drop-off, pick-up and general parking at Hoover Elementary as well as “repositioning” the school’s main entrance.
13. The district’s short-term projects should eliminate “patch quilt” facilities as all projects should be aligned to the facilities guide and work through board review and approval processes.
14. The district’s plan should include eventually eliminating aging maintenance and supplies buildings north of the football field and possibly relocating the transportation department, but that would likely need to come in the later stages of plan. We encourage the city and district to continue collaborating.
15. The plan should be considered a flexible “living document” to accomplishing the district’s vision, mission and goals.
Important safety, programming and teaching and learning themes:
The location of each school’s main office does not meet modern visual monitoring requirements. Industry standard security systems (example: buzz-in door systems, single entries and/or office entry only, night alarms) must be included in facilities construction of the future. The world has simply changed regarding monitoring for safety.
Currently, due to curriculum needs that cannot happen in the middle school, over 125 middle school students begin their day at the high school. Facilities plans should benefit instructional programs by consolidating the middle and high schools. Removal of antiquated middle school (rated lowest by engineers and architects for meeting 21st-century learning and safety needs) would also eliminate the need to leave doors accessible at Hoover and WBMS throughout the day.
It would also address dangerous Oliphant Street student drop-off and pick-up concerns. Converting the middle school into a parking lot would make a significant difference in handling overflow parking for events and football games. Oliphant Street could be used for bus transportation only.
The plan calls for more infused technology (blended), project-based and personalized learning aligned with future Competency-Based Education. Students need technology-infused, school-to-work, work-to-school connections that will drive application and deeper engagement.
West Branch Middle School does not have its own art, music, PE, lunchroom or space for 21st-century programming and curriculum. Architects studied adding new rooms, but it would make Foster Street too congested and significantly impact playground space.
Future performing and visual arts areas should receive significant consideration. A arts center could be the centerpiece of this work and host PK-12 school concerts. The district is encouraged to explore “tornado safe” construction options for this type of facility. All extra-curricular programs should benefit from reorganization and field layouts and positions may be impacted, but only in the best interests of all students.
With current construction costs, the district is encouraged to look for in-kind donations and support to take new facility designs from great to outstanding! The West Branch Foundation could support a capital campaign.
In February 2014, footprint (big picture) designs were developed, produced by highly reputable, professional engineers and architects at the conclusion of 18 months of staff, student, committee and stakeholder meetings and hundreds of hours of assessment. The board will spend the next few months analyzing and defining the scope of the project and funding scenarios. More stakeholder input is scheduled for this fall.
In January 2016, Piper Jaffray provided multiple bonding and borrowing options that included a few $2.70 scenarios. Each would generate between $13 and $15 million to support Phase III goals. Couple this with the end of the geothermal levy (-$1.21) in June 2018, and it would result in a $1.49 school levy increase, about $8-$20 a month for most families. Again, the Board team understands the tax burdens facing all residents and we have worked tirelessly to maintain a moderate school tax rate. (Example: WB $14.13, Mid Prairie $14.15, North Cedar, $14.56, West Liberty $16.63.)
Finally, the Facilities Advisory Committee’s report to the Board contains the following statement:
“Communities that reinvest in their public schools receive the valued-added benefits of increased community pride and relationships, stable property valuations, strong housing markets, reductions in crime and social services, improved community amenities, as well as, opportunities for steady growth spurred by the interests of future families and businesses.”
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