By Marcy Stamper
Staff and community members who have been working on a list of recommended upgrades to school facilities and the district’s transportation fleet will circulate their proposals for a final round of public input before a recommendation is made to the school board later this month.
The 20 members of the Methow Valley School District facilities task force have compiled a list of the greatest needs in the district’s three schools as well as for its bus and vehicle fleet after an in-depth tour of the buildings and input from the community.
The preliminary list of priorities—including maintenance and improvements for Liberty Bell High School, Methow Valley Elementary and the Independent Learning Center—will be sent to all box holders with the district’s newsletter, MV Pride, by early next week, according to Methow Valley School District Superintendent Tom Venable. The suggestions will also include investments in the transportation fleets.
In addition to determining the most-urgent needs, the task force was asked to come up with a dollar amount and propose a way of paying for the improvements, either through a levy or bond, which would be put to voters in November if approved by the school board, said Venable. Bonds are typically used for major capital projects, and levies for shorter-term expenditures, he said.
The process for presenting a final request to the school board has been delayed by several weeks to give the public one more opportunity for feedback on the suggestions before Venable proposes a resolution to the board on July 23.
People can provide their reactions to the task force’s conclusions at a public meeting on Wednesday, July 16, at 6 p.m. in the Methow Valley Elementary library, or through the school district’s web site at methow.org, where they can also view the recommendations.
