With a 32-3 vote the JCHS Way Forward Steering Committee has recommended to the USD 475 Board of Education that a new Junction City High School be built at a new site at a maximum cost not to exceed $105 million, and with no increase in the property tax mill levy.
The motion on that recommendation was made by a member of the steering committee, Vic Davis. “I think it’s a great opportunity we have to build a new high school for the children of the future, and replace this building which has had a lot of good use and a lot of good memories. We’ve got an opportunity to do it without impacting our taxes, and I think it’s a great opportunity.” Davis added he was glad the committee has accepted that challenge and that will be the recommendation to the Board.
The proposal being considered calls for a new school to be financed by a combination of federal heavily impacted military aid and state aid with no increase in the local property tax levy. Voters in the district would need to approve a bond issue in order for USD 475 to qualify for the 48% state aid portion of the funding total. The committee recommendation goes to the Board of Education on February 6th.
During deliberations four options had been reviewed by the steering committee….do maintenance on infrastructure problems at the existing school, renovate the existing school, build a new high school at the current site, or build a new school at a new site, possibly on the west side of the city near the current Junction City Middle School. But it became clear Tuesday evening that a new high school could be located there or possibly at some other site. That will be up to the Board of Education to determine.
Davis made that clear as did Superintendent of Schools Dr. Corbin Witt. JC Post asked Witt if a new school would be located on the west side of town. He replied, “I don’t know that yet. We are currently looking for all of the available land. The Board has asked us to look for that. So we’re looking for that as we speak, so I can’t say that it would for sure be on the west side of town. We’re looking for any land that’s available right now.”
The steering committee is also strongly recommending that the Board do a new high school in one single phase and not in multiple phases. Committee member Jim Schmidt stated, “The consensus was if we’re going to after it and let’s go after it and get it done, and use the money we have available, understand the funds as they come in, and understand where the federal government is going to land and where the state is going to come in.”
The existing high school building was first built in 1958 with multiple additions in later years.
The Board of Education meeting on February 6th will be held at the Junction City High School cafeteria. It will begin at 5 p.m. During that session the Board could take action or could delay action for a short time. That is unknown at this point. It was noted during steering committee discussion if the BOE approved a bond issue resolution on February 6th that could allow for a possible election on that bond issue May 9th. Again….bond issue approval by voters would be necessary to obtain the state aid portion of the funding for a new high school project.