Wish lists for school projects costing a total of $5 million, $10 million and $15 million were approved by the Juneau Board of Education on Tuesday night, at the request of the Juneau Assembly which is considering placing a bond measure to fund such projects on the fall election ballot.
Specific items for a $10 million education bond, plus a $20 million bond to upgrade water and wastewater utilities, were requested by the Assembly at a Jan. 9 meeting, based on recommendations from city administrators. The lists approved by the school board prioritize projects members want to see covered by a bond measure and how many of them can be covered depending on the bond’s amount if approved by the Assembly.
In addition to citing facilities most in need of immediate repairs, district leaders said their priorities include work that prevents further and more expensive damage to facilities.
“The impact — which is oftentimes not realized when we talk about increasing student achievement and supports for students, and the impact of facilities — (is) functioning facilities,” Superintendent Frank Hauser said. “Not only having roofs that are not leaking, but also (heating/ventilation) systems that are consistent and sustained at a comfortable level.”
Among the concerns expressed by board members were the uncertainty of supplemental funding for some projects from the state and federal governments since both are experiencing considerable economic turmoil, as well as how tariffs being imposed by the Trump administration will impact actual costs of projects.
The Assembly Finance Committee is tentatively scheduled to consider the school bond items at its April 16 meeting.
The $5 million list includes, in order, about $600,000 to partially re-roof Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé, about $1 million to partially re-roof Sayéik: Gastineau Community School, $2 million for districtwide security and safety upgrades, and then boiler replacement projects totaling $1 million at one or two of three schools — Sayéik: Gastineau Community School, Glacier Valley Elementary School and/or the Dzantik’i Heeni campus — based on an expert’s priority evaluation.
A $10 million bond as recommended by city leaders would add replacing the roof at Glacier Valley Elementary School for about $3.3 million, and boiler replacements and other heating/ventilation projects totaling about $3 million at the three schools above plus JDHS.
At $15 million — or roughly $14.5 million in the list approved by the board — the bond would also include about $4.2 million in additional districtwide heating/ventilation upgrades.
The district’s capital improvement plan includes more than $18 million in projects that are considered priorities during the next six years, not including $1 million in voter-approved annual deferred maintenance work and “an extensive planning list of deferred maintenance projects,” according to a memo presented to the school board by Operations Director Kristy Germain.
City Manager Katie Koester in January recommended the Assembly consider a $15 million school bond and a $10 million utility bond, but both those amounts were adjusted to $10 million and $20 million, respectively, in the reviews ordered by Assembly members. Utilities in particular have been a concern of city leaders who say costs increases have far exceeded rate increases over the years, leaving a deficit that will have to be plugged with some combination of bond funding and/or further rate hikes.
The city’s utilities division is proposing an increase of 10.25% and wastewater 12.75% a year for each of the next five years, totaling more than 60% and 80% respectively. Each $10 million in bond funding would decrease the annual hikes by about 3%, according to Koster.
But Assembly members have also expressed concern voters may reject bond measures in the upcoming October election since last fall they passed a $12.75 million bond to upgrade police and fire communications, and a $10 million wastewater facility upgrade bond. Furthermore, city leaders have indicated a mill rate hike for the fiscal year starting July appears inevitable, with a draft budget calling for a rate of 10.19 mills compared to the current rate of 10.04 mills.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.
