What is included in the proposed project solution?

• New middle school addition to west side of high school building. School-within- a-school design.

• Renovations and upgrades to infrastructure and classrooms at the existing high school building.

• New competition gym on north side of high school building. This gym has two full courts when the bleachers are pushed in.

• New secure entrance at the elementary school.

• ADA (code) restrooms at elementary and high school buildings.

Why is the Middle School Addition two stories?

The two-story middle school addition came about through the community meetings, surveys, and staff input. One of the things that the board heard loud and clear was that our community really likes the fact that the middle school students are not only separated from other grades in their current building, but that the 5th and 6th grade has their own classroom area separate from the 7th and 8th grade classroom area. A two-story solution allows for each age group to continue having their own classroom areas. The 5th and 6th floor and the 7th and 8th floor would each have their own restrooms, locker areas, classrooms, and commons. This will allow the culture that our community values to continue in a new building. It is a school-within-a-school concept. Not having to do as much dirt work to the west for a one-story addition would save enough money to pay for the stairs and elevator that would be required in a two-story addition.

What is the bond amount and for how many years?

The resolution and ballot includes a ‘not to exceed’ bond amount of $48,800,000.  Preliminary financial and tax impact models reflect a 30-year maturity for the bonds.

Why is the board calling this bond now?

• Urgent infrastructure needs in existing buildings.

• Reactionary maintenance is expensive and not the best long- term solution.

• Operational (fiscal) efficiencies of one middle school/high school.

• Educational opportunities for students at one site.

• Addresses handicap accessibility (ADA) and safety issues throughout the district.

Does the bond include ‘needs’ or ‘wants’?

This plan includes necessary new construction, renovations, and upgrades.  The project must include all educational, activity, and operational components needed for a one site middle school and high school building.  Several months of public feedback and work with the board has been done to try and get the project down to the minimum amount needed without excluding needed facility components.

How will the bond impact my taxes?

The preliminary bond tax levy is 27 cents per $100 of valuation.  This would equal $270 per year per $100,000 of property valuation.  An individual tax calculator can be found on the Financial Impact page on this website.  The tax calculator will allow homeowners and AG Land owners to calculate their preliminary tax impact of the bond. AG Land is figured at a different rate than other property and the tax calculator will figure both for you. 

Will this project create operational efficiencies in our district?

It is anticipated that there will be operational efficiencies realized if the middle school and high school are all under one roof.  A reduction in operational costs could include utilities, facility maintenance, transportation, elimination of duplicated services, and staff reduction through attrition.  A feasibility study completed in 2021 and other projections indicate a conservative operational savings of $650,000 per year once the project is complete.  This could result in a 5-cent reduction in the General Fund tax asking each year. This could also result in lowering the Special Building Fund levy.

What was the process to determine this project and were other options considered?

The Fillmore Central Board of Education hired BVH in February 2023 to conduct an initial facilities audit of the district. There were two parts to this audit: BVH went through each building and building system and met with staff to listen and gather input on our current educational alignment within our facilities. 

We held three community meetings, during which we presented the findings of the comprehensive Facility Audit and Educational Alignment Study. These studies identified critical needs within our school facilities and proposed potential solutions to meet those needs effectively. Throughout the course of the three meetings, we asked for community feedback through two surveys. The board worked with BVH architecture to adjust the draft solutions based on the feedback they received at these meetings and through the surveys.

On December 16, 2024, the Fillmore Central Board of Education approved and adopted a resolution calling for a special election to be held in the District on March 11, 2025 relating to the issuance by the District of its General Obligation School Building Bonds, Series 2025, in an amount not to exceed $48,800,000, to finance the costs of constructing certain additions to and renovations of its existing High School Building, an addition to replace the existing Middle School, a gymnasium addition and other building improvements, and for renovations and additions at the Elementary School Building and related costs thereto.

What will happen to the building in Fairmont?

Coming to a positive solution for the Village of Fairmont and other district patrons is a top priority of the board.  If there is a successful bond issue, the board can then enter into serious and detailed discussions regarding the best strategy for all regarding the middle school facility.  There will likely be at least two or three years to make this decision if the bond passes before the middle school facility will no longer be used by the district.

What will happen to the downtown gym in Geneva?

As stated previously, coming to a positive solution with the City of Geneva and other district patrons is a top priority for the board.  If there is a successful bond issue, the board can then enter into serious and detailed discussions regarding the best strategy for all regarding the downtown gym.  There would likely be at least two or three years to make this decision once the bond passes before the gym would no longer be used by the district.

Why is an auditorium not a part of the plans?

There are often more needs than there are resources. While the board and community value an auditorium, it would add an additional $11,900,000. The general sentiment from community meetings and surveys was that, although it would be a wonderful addition for students and the community, the cost added to the current plan would be too high for the majority of the community to support.  The proposed plan does leave a space for a future auditorium. The auditorium would be able to use the future commons and bathrooms near the gym so that there wouldn’t be a duplicative cost in the future.

What happens if the bond doesn’t pass?

A tremendous amount of time, public feedback, and work has gone into putting forth to voters what the board believes is the best solution for the district. According to the facility audit, if the bond doesn’t pass, we would likely need to spend $51,501,000 over the next 20 years to address urgent infrastructure needs, eliminate deficiencies in current buildings and systems, and provide upgrades to the three sites and downtown gym. 

What about the number of gyms? Would we be losing 2 gyms and only building 1?

We currently have 3 basketball courts; none of them are the full 94 feet long.  They are each in their own gym “box,” so we have 3 gym “boxes”. The gym that would be built would be a larger “box” so that it would hold two full-size cross courts (94 feet long) that could be used with the bleachers pulled back. Building 2 courts in one gym “box” is more efficient than building 2 new gym “boxes”. 

A curtain will be able to be dropped down to allow for separate practice courts or tournament game courts. There is also out of bound space between these two cross courts, so the curtain wouldn’t be the out of bounds as you may have seen in some gyms. The current middle school gym is 6,790 sf and the downtown gym is 6,262 sf.  The two of them would be 13,052 sf together. 

The proposed new gym would have 13,700 sf of usable floor space.  Having two gyms would allow for more room for concerts/graduation/wrestling tournaments/other events. All JV games and high school practices would be held at the high school, the potential to host basketball and volley ball tournaments. The community would be able to host youth sports, with three courts under one roof.

Will there be a place for middle school recess?

Yes, there is quite a bit of green space to the north of the MS/HS building that can be used for a recess area.  It isn’t drawn on the plans, but there will be an area for recess.

Are only bond funds that are part of the bond election being used on the elementary part of the plan?

No, bond funds will make up part of the additions and renovations at the elementary school.  Most of the additions and renovations will be funded through the Qualified Capital Purchase Undertaking Fund (QCPUF) which allows money to be levied by a school board for Safety and Security Infrastructure projects and ADA projects.  This money would be used to pay for the new front entrance and office area as well as the ADA bathrooms.  The other parts of the project would use money from the bond in order to be built.

How does our levy rate and tax asking per student compare to other conference and neighboring districts?

Our district has one of the lowest levies in our conference and area.  We also have one of the lowest tax asking amounts per student in this same grouping of schools.  There are a couple of graphs on the Financial Impact page of this website that show how we compare.

There are some classroom/labs in the current high school that are not highlighted as part of the bond. Will they be updated at some time?

Some of the spaces/classroom/labs that aren’t highlighted have had more recent upgrades and/or contain expensive equipment.  These areas are not part of the bond money plans at this time. However, these classrooms could be updated later in the future, addressed one at a time, through any left-over bond funds, special building fund dollars, business partnerships, or grant opportunities.