School projects may be on ballot

MAT-SU -- With the potential to build several new facilities and maintain existing ones, the Mat-Su Borough School District is aiming to put a construction bond before voters April 1.

In a special election this spring, Mat-Su voters could be giving their thumbs up or down to millions of dollars in projects, including a $12 million food service facility, a nearly $19 million vocational career center, a $12 million Wasilla-area elementary school, a $3.5 million remodel of the original Sherrod Elementary into an administration building and $2 million in districtwide maintenance work.

The district still has several hurdles to clear before getting its bond on the ballot, including school board and assembly approval. Once it is in voters' hands, however, school district officials are hopeful the bond will pass.

"During the last bond election, there was tremendous support for schools," Assistant Superintendent of Business Jack Sherman said. "That's kind of encouraging."

The last Mat-Su school bond, which voters approved in the late 1990s, was for nearly $100 million and included construction of Teeland Middle, Larson Elementary, Meadow Lakes Elementary, Houston High and the new Sherrod Elementary.

During the Nov. 5 election, Alaskan voters opened the door for Mat-Su to bond for more projects when they approved Proposition C. The statewide ballot measure included $236 million in general obligation bonds to repair and build schools and museum facilities around Alaska.

No Mat-Su school district projects were specifically outlined in the ballot, but the measure also created a debt-reimbursement program for large school districts. The state will pick up 70 percent of the tab on projects approved by the Department of Education, and 60 percent on those that aren't approved. Local taxpayers would pay for the remaining 30 or 40 percent.

"The school board's top two priorities have been the career center and the nutrition services," Sherman said.

The career center has been in the planning stages for several years, with district officials working with private-sector business, government agencies and universities to design a center they say would benefit the entire community.

The nutrition services center could utilize a similar cooperative effort, with the district partnering with the Department of Agriculture and local farmers to make it a processing plant for Alaska-grown products as well as a central kitchen for schools.

Because DOE has not approved either of these projects, they would receive 60-percent funding from the state, with borough taxpayers paying for the rest.

DOE has approved the administration building and the districtwide maintenance, which would include fire alarms, sprinkler systems and ventilation systems, so these two items would be eligible for 70-percent bond reimbursement from the state.

Because voters may feel differently about each item proposed, Sherman said the district is looking at separating the projects so it isn't an all-or-nothing vote.

The specific wording and even which projects will be included are far from set in stone for the April 1 ballot, however.

It is not clear yet if three proposals -- a Palmer-area school and facilities for the district's two charter schools -- will be eligible at all. Sherman said it may be that the projects had to be on the district's CIP list before the Nov. 5 election in order to receive any state funding.

Another detail to be resolved is the borough's bonding capacity. Sherman said borough officials are investigating how much it will be able to cover. If the cap is $50 million, some of the district's projects may not make it onto the ballot. If it is $80 million, Sherman said it would cover all of the district's proposals.

During the next week, the district will be developing its recommended bond package to bring before the school board at its Dec. 4 meeting. Following any changes the board makes, the bond proposal will then go on to the borough assembly, where it will be up for public hearing and assembly approval in January.