School district discusses bond question

Over the next 5 to 10 years, Douglas County School District will need $40.25 million for capital improvement projects, according to the district's business service director Holly Luna.

A large percentage of the district's capital improvement fund comes from a motor vehicle privilege tax guaranteed by having outstanding bond payments. In 2011, the district's existing bonds will retire, and that tax revenue will go elsewhere in the county.

The numbers were released and discussed at the second meeting of the Keep Improving Douglas Schools committee Wednesday at Gardnerville Elementary School.

The formation of the committee was approved by the school board in September to explore bond-funding and other financial options for capital improvement projects. If the committee determines that new bonds are needed, it will make a recommendation to the school board, which will have until July to form a bond question for next November's election.

Luna laid out her estimation of schools' most pressing needs: Roof renovations of Gardnerville Elementary, Carson Valley and Kingsbury middle schools and Douglas High School, $4.1 million; air conditioning and heater renovations for Jacks Valley, Scarselli and Zephyr Cove elementary schools, Carson Valley and Pau-Wa-Lu middle schools, Douglas and Whittell high schools, $4.9 million; new permanent facilities at Douglas High for a Junior Reserved Officer Training Core, new classroom pods at Minden and Piñon Hills elementary schools and completion of modernization of Gardnerville Elementary, $13.8 million; energy efficient windows at Zephyr Cove Elementary, Whittell High and Carson Valley Middle School, $850,000; district-wide accommodations for the disabled, $1 million; district-wide asphalt and re-pavement plans, $4.8 million; energy efficient technology, $3.5 million; re-carpeting, gas line replacements, irrigation system replacements and concrete replacements, $7.3 million.

Gardnerville Elementary principal Cris Etchegoyhen gave committee members a tour of the school.

"I don't want to sound whiny, but we have needs," said Etchegoyhen.

She said a four-phase modernization plan for the school was stopped after phase 2 because of budget shortfalls.

Etchegoyhen took members to the school's main central hall, built in 1928, for a tour of the building's classrooms which Etchegoyhen said were 500 square feet compared to an average classroom of 900 square feet.

"High levels of learning require space and storage," said Etchegoyhen.

Members also toured rest rooms which Etchegoyhen said were not up to Americans with Disabilities Act standards.

Carson Valley Middle School principal Kerry Pope outlined what she thought were her school's most pressing needs. She said the halls are too narrow for the number of students, resulting in overcrowding and long response times to fire drills. She said many of the building's roofs are in need of repair, including building B which contains asbestos and the Old Gym where tiles have fallen from the ceiling.

In a telephone interview on Thursday, superintendent Carol Lark was asked about the possibility of rezoning and moving students from Carson Valley Middle School to Pau-Wa-Lu, whose enrollment is down.

"We're considering all solutions," Lark said.

Keep Improving Douglas Schools will have its next meeting Oct. 23, 6:30 p.m., at Meneley Elementary.