Even with the coronavirus restriction, the USD 329 Board of Education met for its monthly meeting, taking precautions to ensure the safety of the members. During the meeting, the board members distanced themselves from each other and the meeting was live-streamed via the district’s Facebook page to follow the new CDC coronavirus guidelines of no more than 10 people in a gathering.
Letter to the editor | K-12 building would not unify district if built in Alma
To whom this may concern. Building a K-12 new school would be great, providing it is not built in Alma. Doing so would not unify the district — it would pull it further apart. Doing so would cause more dislike because this is not USD 329 Alma, it is USD 329 Maple Hill, Paxico, Mcfarland and Alma. Alma has never lost a school, has never had to bus young children down the road. They get to keep it all.
USD 329 Board approves bond option for community vote
After many board meetings discussing the facilities and bond options, the board was able to pass a motion for an election to occur on May 12 at 6 polling places in the district for the potential 25 year bond, on Option 16. The regular board meeting started with continued discussion to answer a few leftover questions over the facilities. Once the board had most of their questions answered, a motion was made for Option 10 to be the option moving forward. The potential K-12, Option 10, was seconded, but failed with a vote of 2-5. Seconds later, another motion was made, but for Option 16. The motion was seconded, and passed 4-3. Now it is up to the community to vote either for or against the K-6 in Paxico and 7-12 in Alma.
Editorial: K-12 building would be best for USD 329
With the board set to take action on a bond, the Charger staff believes option 10 is the best choice for the future of our district. The option, which calls for a new K-12 building, unifies the school district, which will make the district more financially efficient and benefit many aspects of the students’ experience.... Continue Reading →
329 board discusses bond options at town hall
Community members meet with board members to raise questions concerning bond options The USD 329 Board of Education held a town hall meeting Tuesday to discuss the bond options. The meeting format involved splitting attendees into three groups with board members spread throughout to allow for more opinions to be heard. Board members Jim Vopata... Continue Reading →
329 BOE to address bond questions at town hall
USD 329 Board of Education is hosting a town hall meeting to inform citizens about bond options and respond to questions and concerns from the community. The town hall meeting, 6 p.m. January 28 in the WHS commons, will be a roundtable discussion where patrons will be able to listen to positive and negative concerns for each option, tax impact, clarification on bond process, time line for the bond and information on conditions of buildings and budget.
Bond motions fail at USD 329 meeting
The USD 329 board failed to make a decision at its Monday meeting concerning a bond resolution for April Election. Both the K-12 option and K-6 with 7-12 option failed with a 3-4 vote. The third motion for the renovation bond was denied after no board member seconded it.
Board narrows down facility options at special meeting
The USD 329 BOE gathered Monday to narrow the remaining options for a bond proposal. The remaining options include a K-12 in Alma, renovations to the existing buildings or a K-6 in Paxico and 7-12 in Alma. The board will vote Monday on which to propose to the community for a vote in April. Here are some of the highlights of discussion from the special meeting.
USD 329 Board discusses construction during work session
The USD 329 BOE met Monday for a special meeting to discuss the bond options. Discussion included a new option and questions for the previous bonds discussed. Here are some highlights from the discussion. Option 12 A new option was introduced to the board members. Option 12 is an $8.1 million bond that includes closing PMS and MHES, moving sixth grade to WJH and moving fifth and all elementary students to Alma. $4 million would be set aside for general maintenance for the buildings and of that, $800,000 would go to improving the AES kitchen.
USD 329 board to explore bond options at special meeting
After postponing a decision on a potential bond issue at its November meeting, the Wabaunsee Board of Education plans to discuss options at a special meeting 6 p.m. December 2 at the district office. HTK Architecture presented options to the BOE as possible solutions to building and maintenance problems. A facilities committee, made up of citizens from throughout the district, recommended an option that would close several buildings and consolidate elementary students in Paxico. The following list of options shows the potential costs, a list of renovations and changes and pros and cons of each option as seen by the Charger staff.
The Charger 