JISD Facilities Study and Bond Issue Time Line

April 19, 2004

Facilities Committee Update: Superintendent Stuart Bird advised Board members that he is in the process of forming a Facilities Committee to assess the future needs of the JISD instructional facilities. He added that he has asked Rose Ann Cunningham (retired Assistant JISD Superintendent) to chair the committee and that he intends to get the committee underway at the beginning of the next school year. The committee will be comprised of campus administrators, designated campus employees, and designated parents from each campus who have volunteered to participate. Mr. Bird emphasized several reasons why the growth of our student population is imminent and that JISD needs to plan to accommodate this growth. The committee will study the JISD instructional facilities and made recommendations to the District and Board of Trustees.

September 27, 2004

Board approves of a demographics and facilities study of JISD by CRS for the purposes of future construction.

October 18, 2004

Mr. Bird advised board members that the JISD Facilities Committee had held an organizational meeting on October 11th with a plan to meet again on November 8th. He stated that each campus principal and/or administrator had been assigned the task of producing a wish list for their campus for the next ten year period. These wish lists are to be turned in, compiled, and distributed to committee members prior to the next meeting. Additionally, committee members were encouraged to visit each campus before the next meeting to bring their input to the meeting as well.

November 15, 2004

Superintendent Bird informed the Board that the Facilities Committee has met twice. He reported that committee members are visiting the facilities to see them first-hand and that campus principals had submitted campus wish lists that were presented and discussed at the last meeting. Mr. Bird added that the consultant, Don Hooper, has almost completed the facilities/demographic study and will be presenting it to the Board and Facilities Committee simultaneously at the December 13th board meeting.

December 13, 2004

The JISD Board of Trustees met in a regular meeting on Monday, December 13, 2004, at 6:00 p.m. in the Little Theater at Jacksonville Middle School. This meeting was held in conjunction with a Facilities Committee meeting in order that all parties hear the results of the JISD Facilities/Demographic Study performed by Dr. Don Hooper and Dr. Jerome Olson of the Center for Quality Learning. Dr. Hooper and Dr. Olson presented their results along with a Power Point presentation and then opened the floor for questions and discussion.

January 24, 2005

Superintendent Bird advised board members that the Facilities Committee will be meeting February 7th to consider the information gathered from the Facilities and Demographic Study recently completed and presented at the December board meeting. He summarized suggestions made from the study with regard to the instructional facilities:

3 new elementary campuses will be built to replace the East Side Elementary, Joe Wright Elementary, and West Side Elementary campuses with additions to the Fred Douglass Elementary campus.

the Compass Center will be moved into the current West Side Elementary campus

solve roof problems at Jacksonville Middle School

comprehensive renovations and additions at Jacksonville High School

Mr. Bird advised board members that now that the District has hired a financial advisor, the next step will be to bring to the Board a recommendation for an architect at the February meeting. He added that, at the earliest, the Facilities Committee may be ready to bring their recommendations to the Board in March or April. Mr. Bird targeted the May or June meeting for the possibility of calling a bond issue which must be approved at least 62 days prior to holding a bond election.

February 21, 2005

Superintendent Bird advised board members that the Facilities Committee met on February 7th to review the facilities/demographic analysis and discuss sites and possible land acquisitions. He added that the District has begun interviewing architectural firms and will shorten the selection list after the interviews. At that point Mr. Bird plans to schedule a committee to tour some campus sites designed by these firms to help determine the final decision. Mr. Bird hopes to have these tours completed before Spring Break and have a recommendation for the Board at the March board meeting.

March 21, 2005

Mr. Bird recapped for everyone the current status of the JISD facility assessment. He stated that the Facilities Committee (comprised of community members and district personnel) was formed in the Fall of 2004, has met four times, and has visited the campuses to learn their needs. Additionally, the facilities and demographic study was completed and presented by CQL (Center for Quality Leadership). Mr. Bird added that, in anticipation of a possible bond proposal to meet the district’s facility needs, the district has contracted with a financial advisor and is in the process of negotiating a contract with an architect. When this is complete, the Facilities Committee will meet again and begin formulating a recommendation to the Board of Trustees. Mr. Bird stated that once the committee makes a recommendation to the Board it will be up to the Board to choose whether or not they wish to call for an election for a bond issue. If the Board approves such an election, then it will ultimately be decided by the community of voters and not the school district or its trustees.

April 18, 2005

Bond Issue: Mr. Bird advised board members that contract negotiations are continuing with the architect and should be resolved soon. He added that once this has been accomplished the architect will be able to furnish JISD with projected costs at which point the Facilities Committee will meet again, consider all available information gathered at this point and go forward with the possibility of making their facilities recommendation in June to the Board.

May 23, 2005

Mr. Bird advised the Board that he had recently spoken to two civic organizations in town about JISD facilities and a possible bond issue and had received good questions from the groups. He also reported that Swain Mayo of WRA Architects had visited with principals and other groups within the district to gather more information with regard to specific functions and needs.

Mr. Bird related to board members that he has been discussing the idea of taking some of the existing JISD structures, such as the old field house and Joe Wright Elementary, and turning them into possible storage facilities for the district as storage space in the current warehouse has become quite crowded.

June 16, 2005

Mr. Bird advised board members that the Facilities Committee plans to meet on July 13th to finalize their recommendation for presentation to the board at the July 7th Summer Board Retreat. He added that the committee chairman, Rose Ann Cunningham, along with subcommittee chairman, Ricky Richards, will present the recommendations to the Board at the Retreat. July 11, 2005

July 11, 2005

The JISD Board of Trustees met in a Special Meeting at 12:00 noon on July 11, 2005 at the new Field House. All board members were present.

To Consider and Adopt an Order Calling for a School Bond Election and Take All Necessary Action Thereof
Phase I will consist of $40,000,000 of projects and will require a 33¢ I&S tax rate increase but will not be contingent on receiving any additional Instructional Facilities Allotment or Existing Debt Allotment state assistance for the payment of bonds. Phase II will consist of $22,500,000 of projects and will be contingent on the first $40,000,000 of bonds receiving state assistance.

Board members voted unanimously to adopt the Order Calling for a School Bond Election for September 17, 2005 and to take all necessary action thereof. Board members also requested to adopt at the next meeting a Resolution Making a Covenant with the Voters Regarding the September 17, 2005 Bond Election and stating its intent to issue a portion of the bonds contingent upon state assistance.