Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Why do we need more space when the high school doesn't have as many students as it did in 1966 when it was built?

  2. How much is this project going to cost me as a taxpayer?

  3. Why don't we just build a new high school?

  4. How long will it take to remodel the high school?i

  5. Why wasn't this funding option considered on the first proposal?

1. Why do we need more space when the high school doesn’t have as many students as it did in 1966 when it was built?

You are absolutely correct that MHS housed more students in 1966 than it does presently. However, so many issues have changed, and so many programs have been added. For example:

Special Education: Public Law 94-142 did not exist in 1966 nor did ADA which requires accessibility for all people. Because of these two mandated laws, MHS needs more space for these programs, and we need more square footage to create accessibility for all people.

Technology: In 1966, we did not have the technology that we have today. Now we need space for our wiring hubs and our technology offices including the Help Desk.

Special Programs: In 1965, students dropped out of school if they could not succeed, or we sent them to an alternative program to get help. It is not the philosophy of education today. At MHS, we work with every student to ensure success. We have a Study Lab room which is a place for students to go for extra help and to utilize an online credit recovery program. In addition, we need conference rooms since we frequently meet with parents and students to discuss strategies for success and individual plans to keep students in school. We do not send any students to an alternative school; we serve all students at MHS.

Records storage: In the 46 years since MHS was built, we have added 46 years of permanent records on students, staff, and financial records to create over 100 years of mandated records to store. In addition, all of the special education mandated records also require a storage area that was not even required when MHS was built. We need space for these records.

Maintenance: Since 1966, the chemicals, machinery, and equipment for custodial and maintenance needs has grown substantially. MHS had long outgrown the “custodial closets” that are in MHS. In addition, all of the snow removal equipment for the district is stored at MHS, and we presently utilize part of the auto shop for that storage. We need much more storage for this department.

Academic: In 1966, students were required to take 16 credits to graduate. Now, students are required to take a minimum of 22 credits, which means they are taking many more classes which requires many more teachers and classrooms. The enrollments in the science classes are double the number of students in 1965. Special education classes and technology classes did not exist in 1965, and Career and Technical Education is a huge new addition to high school curriculum in high schools today. In addition, our class sizes are smaller than in 1965 because we have learned that project-based, collaborative learning needs space for students to work in small groups. In 1965, study halls for over 50 students were held in the cafeteria. We know that this is not good educational service and do not want to go back to those practices.

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2. How much is this project going to cost me as a taxpayer?

Because the purchase of bonds cannot occur until after the vote has passed successfully, financial information is just estimates. At this time, the estimated tax rate will be $.63-$.65 per $1000 of valuation. At this rate, the estimated amount paid on $100,000 property valuation will be $63-$65 per year or approximately $5.25-$5.42 a month. Please use our calculator to estimate the cost for you.

How much will it cost?


My Cost

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3. Why don’t we just build a new high school?

The architects were asked to figure an estimate of the cost of a new facility which would meet all of our needs. That figure was $25,280,640.00 which is $10.8 million more than the proposed renovation. However, that figure does not include purchase of land, or the demolition of the present MHS if we found a way to build on the present lot, which would be extremely difficult given the Middle School location.

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4. How long will it take to remodel the high school?

The architects estimate that the construction process would take approximately 18 months. If the bond issue is passed in November 2011, bonds would be purchased, bids would be opened, and the hope is that ground could be broken sometime spring 2012. This would place completion sometime in 2013-2014.

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5. Why wasn’t this funding option considered on the first proposal?

The reduction from 16.9 to 14.5 million is the biggest change because it reduced projected yearly payments by approximately $150,000 for the twenty year finance period.  The concept of splitting the project between Capital and General came forward as viable option after discussion, with Daugherty and Company, about the new dollar amount along with the consolidation (re-issuance) of existing capital certificates at a lower interest rate.

It was then apparent that the new project dollar amount allowed for a good sharing of the cost between general and capital.  Consequently, the decision was made to go forward with the current plan seeking general obligation bonds for $6.315 million and Capital Outlay Certificates for $8.3 million with the feeling it was a much kinder approach to the project. 


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