- The new $99.75M bond proposal aims to fund school safety updates, a new early learning center, and building renovations.
- Superintendent Berthiaume hopes community support will increase with improved messaging after a previous failed vote.
- Watch the video above to see what the new bond aims to tackle and the current state of some district buildings.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
What would you do with 99 million dollars? I know I have a few ideas... I'm your neighborhood reporter Russell Shellberg here in St. Johns showing you how a new bond proposal is hoping to create a new future for years to come here at the school district.
It's one story I have been following for over a year...
"It was a 5-2 vote. And now we are moving forward with the bond proposal to our community," said Berthiaume.
A 92-million-dollar proposal that failed last May... Now seeking another vote in May 2025. This time, a total of close to 100 million...
"Currently, we're looking at 99.75... 2 million was for inflation, the other 3 million was for a fly system in our auditorium, and then from there, another 2.75 million was for additional enhancements in our classrooms," said Berthiaume.
Superintendent Anthony Berthiaume told me there are two focus areas for the rest of the budget...
"Maintaining our building and building for our future," said Berthiaume.
These areas were a focus for the previous year, but Berthiaume also told me a district steering committee was formed to take critical feedback on focuses going forward.
"Through that process, we looked at 5 to 6 different proposals, and I guess it shows what we believe in because the last bond proposal is very similar," said Berthiaume.
The biggest issues Berthiaume mentioned were updating buildings for safety and security, a new early learning center, and committing to renovating Eureka and Riley buildings.
Is it enough to convince the community?
At this week's board meeting, not everyone was convinced...
"Last fall, the bond issued dollars were like 93 million and this states it's 99 million. That's a pretty significant jump in less than a year, so it's going to be a tough sell to the community," said one community member.
But Berthiaume hopes this time, with the right messaging, the result will be different.
"Really, what we want to try to do is communicate with the community that this is a need. We want to look at the projects, we want to look at the costs, and how it's going to impact our students long-term," said Berthiaume.
You can find the school's updated bond proposal website by clicking here.
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