Town Hall meeting outlines needs for new school in Sidney

The first of a pair of Town Hall meetings scheduled for this week to discuss the upcoming school bond election drew a sparse turnout Monday night.

Just a handful of residents attended the session at North Elementary where a presentation was made by Sidney School Superintendent Jay Ehler. Tours of the school were also available.

A second Town Hall meeting is scheduled for Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at South Elementary. Tours of that school will also be available beginning at 5:30.

Voters will go to the polls on Tuesday, Feb. 10 to again decide the fate of the school bond issue.

It will mark the third time residents have voted on the issue since September 2013, with the two previous bond measures failing by narrow margins each time.

On Monday night, Ehler outlined the reasons he, the school board and other district administrators feel the time is now for a new school that will house kindergarten to fourth-grade students.

"A new school will stimulate the learning environment, encourage creative thinking and problem solving," he said. "The improved access to technology will give students and teachers the tools to work in an interactive and technologically advanced society."

The new school – proposed on a plot of land that would be donated by Cabela's – would be located on Fort Sidney Road and Pole Creek Crossing Road on the east side of Sidney. It would replace North and South Elementary Schools.

North was built in 1929, with an addition made in the early 1950s, while South was built in 1955.

"The construction people tell us that a typical school lasts between 50 and 70 years, but that does depend on a lot of factors," Ehler said. "We're right in that window – or past it – for these schools."

Ehler also pointed out that technology in students' daily learning today has grow enormously in recent decades.

"When you look back at technology say from 1900 to around 1980, there really wasn't a lot of major changes," he said. "But from the 1980s and 1990s to 2015, things have exploded from that standpoint. There are so many changes in the way education is delivered and what kids are expected to know when they leave school nowadays."

Ehler also pointed out that the Sidney School District has grown considerably in recent years, and he doesn't expect that to changer anytime soon.

Enrollment was at 1,230 students on Oct. 1, 2012, and stood at 1,331 students on Oct. 1, 2014.

"In the next four years, we expect a growth of 10 to 20 students each year, which does not even include people new to the community," Ehler said. "Sidney is growing. And what's so different here from other rural communities is that we're getting younger. That results in more school-aged children."

Ehler also outlined other challenges the district currently faces, including principals and other administrators and staff members who have to travel from school to school. South houses students in grades 1 and 2, while North has students in grades 3 and 4.

"We probably spend about $15,000 a year in mileage for staff going from school to school," he said. "We have to pay them for those miles. That includes principals, physical education and music teachers, special education teachers, etc. Some are taking equipment back and forth from school to school.

"Besides all of that, it just makes better sense to have all of these people under one roof all of the time. It will only enhance the education process."

Ehler stressed that the time is now for a new school. As time passes, the construction costs would continue to rise because of interest rates.

The estimated cost for the new school has been pegged at $18.9 million. That estimate is up from $16.95 million when the measured failed in May 2014, and from $15.85 million when the first vote was unsuccessful in September 2013.

One resident in attendance Monday night questioned why the next vote was scheduled for mid-February and not during a general or primary election when voter turnout tends to be larger.

Ehler explained that his and the school board's hands were tied on the issue because state law mandates that at least six months must pass between elections on these types of bond issues.

The last school bond vote was held May 13, 2014, meaning the earliest date allowed to cast ballots again would've been on Nov. 13 – falling nine days after the scheduled general election that was held Nov. 4. And since 2015 is an odd year and no primary is scheduled, the next vote wouldn't have fallen until 2016.

"We simply couldn't wait that long to approve a new school for the kids in this community," Ehler said. "The school board and the administrators of the Sidney Public Schools have determined for the good of the community, kids and families that a new school is needed. This is only getting worse as 21st Century education continues. It's not something we will back down from."