Williamsburg schools to ask voters for $22 million in bonds

WILLIAMSBURG — The Williamsburg Community School District Board of Education has approved a $22.3 million bond referendum, which will appear on the ballot Nov. 5.

Community members circulated petitions and gathered signatures from eligible voters, prompting the board to place the bond measure on the ballot. Approval of bond referendums requires a minimum of 60 percent voter support.

“We appreciate the community’s effort in collecting the necessary signatures and presenting them to the board,” said Superintendent Chad Garber. “In the coming months, we will continue to actively engage with residents to address any questions regarding our facility needs and the solution on the ballot.”

The Williamsburg Jr/Sr High School is aging and faces challenges with its heat, ventilation, air conditioning systems, limitations in classroom configuration and space for music programming.

The project proposal includes the creation of a new Career and Technical Education Center on campus, designed to provide students with practical training and experience for emerging career fields.

Updates to the HVAC system and addition of LED lighting at Mary Welsh Elementary School, funded by passage of the referendum, will improve energy efficiency and reliability, saving the district dollars in its general fund, the District said.

Space in both school will be reconfigured to better meet the needs of teachers and students.

Several improvements, including a new wing specifically designed for the District’s fifth and sixth grade students and the combining of two cafeterias to create a central commons, would be funded with statewide one-cent sales tax revenue from the Secure an Advanced Vision for Education fund.

It would also pay for an updated food prep and service area.

Since 2011, the school district’s tax levy rate has decreased by 8.1 percent, said the Distirct. Approval of the bond issue Nov. 5 would enable the district to maintain a debt service levy of $2.70 per $1,000 of taxable property.

For more information, visit williamsburgbond.org.