The Normandy Schools Collaborative Joint Executive Governing Board has approved a resolution to add a bond issue on the April 6 ballot.
Voters living in the Normandy district will get the chance to consider different propositions to address the district’s long-term facilities and maintenance needs.
Proposition V would be funded through a $26.5 million no-tax-rate-increase general obligations bond,meaning that property taxes for individuals in the area would not be increased.
Proposition T would be funded by increasing the operating tax levy ceiling in the district by 58 cents.
“Both Propositions V and T will provide funds to make needed improvements and upgrades at Normandy High School,” said Marcus Robinson, Normandy superintendent of schools.
“Normandy High School is the flagship campus of our district and the place where our students make their most cherished memories. We want to make these upgrades and enhancements to increase safety and security, and just as importantly, the learning environments for staff and students.”
Both propositions are, generally speaking, designed to update the Normandy school buildings, focusing primarily on the high school. Any funds not used in the high school building, Robinson said, will be redirected towards repairs and improvements at the elementary and middle school levels.
Proposition V is written to provide funding for “a new secure connector” building that will link classroom buildings and ensure a safe environment by creating one point of entry to the campus,” as well as renovations to classrooms, the cafeteria, and the Normandy High School Library.
Proposition T would provide funding for “construction of a new community auditorium at Normandy High School,” as well as several upgrades to the school’s athletic facilities. Those athletic updates, according to a new release from Normandy Schools Collaborative, are to include an artificial turf field and regulation-size track at Normandy High School, and an expansion to the high school’s West Gym. This proposal also includes HVAC updates at Jefferson and Washington Schools.
In a third-party survey conducted in early January, 83 percent of respondents supported Proposition V — the no-tax-rate increase bond — while more than 55 percent supported Proposition T’s 58-cent operating tax levy ceiling.
“If Normandy voters approve Proposition V, school property tax rates will not increase. However, the 58-cent operating tax levy for Proposition T would cost the owner of a $100,000 home an additional $110 per year until the 20-year sunset,” Normandy Schools Collaborative explained in the news release. Proposition V would be paid for through the pre-existing taxpayer-funded state debt service fund.
On April 6, Normandy voters will get the chance to vote for both or either of these proposals.
