VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The Valley City school board continues to move cautiously on whether the district should build a new school or repair their existing facilities.
During a public meeting on May 16th, superintendent Josh Johnson said the district it facing some tough decisions due to aging buildings and facility maintenance upgrade needs. He said the district it looking at the most cost-effective option for all school district stakeholders.
Johnson said under one option, the cost to build a new grade 7-12 structure is estimated at $55 million. He said the school district has $3 million in COVID dollars to use for a new building. He said if there was a referendum vote and it passed, the maximum allowed would be $40 million, but, he said the district would still be $12 million short for that proposed construction project.
During the meeting, someone asked if the remaining money could be made up using dollars from the state Legacy Fund. Rep. Dwight Kiefert said it was unlikely that lawmakers would reach a two-thirds majority to free up funding for school district building projects, being there are other needs for those dollars across the state.
Johnson was asked about the school district’s priority for a new heating and cooling system, he had this response.
Johnson talked about how the school district can use their existing $3.8 million in COVID funding and the timeline.
Johnson believes transferring existing technologies and furniture would not be a cost effective issue, if the school district built a new structure.
School board president Ryan Mathias said nothing has been finalized and the school board continues to discuss all of the options that are best for the future of the Valley City school district.
The next public meeting about the future of school district facilities will be held Monday, May 23rd at 7pm in the Hi Liner Activity Center.
In November of 2021, Rob DeMeuse of School Perceptions, the firm hired by the school district to conduct a public survey, told the school board that he doesn’t believes there’s enough support, at this time, for a referendum to pass with the current cost options on the table.
In November of 2021, Superintendent Josh Johnson said staff members and parents of students supported moving forward with a referendum. But Johnson said according to the School Perceptions survey, those 56 and older, who are not staff members or parents of students are opposed to a referendum.
The Valley City Public School District conducted a community survey back in October of 2022 to find out what direction the public wanted the school district to pursue following their “Exploring the Future of School Facilities” meetings. The survey wanted community feedback on whether the school district should build a new structure or renovate existing buildings.
