HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The USD 308 Board of Education wants to know from the public if it is willing to deal with potential tax increases to accomplish keeping Lincoln Elementary open, putting seventh and eighth graders together in one building and the construction of a new early childhood center.
Those three projects were the ones presented as the needs for the next ten years during a study session of the board Monday night.
The first step would be to build the early childhood center in the next three years, with Lincoln remodeled after that and then an addition built on to HMS8 to allow 7th grade to go there too as the third major project.
The estimate is that the new early childhood center would cost $10 million, the remodeling at Lincoln would be between $6 and $15 million and the HMS8 addition would be $15 million.
The Hutchinson Unified Superintendent Advisory Council that has been working with RSP on the proposal doesn't think the public would vote for a bond issue to get it done, even though they support the idea.
The school board for its part wants to hear from the public, as they don't want to push through something just to see a bond issue fail, but if the public can be convinced, then they're willing to be moved on it.