Grain Valley school voters to decide on bonds

Voters in the Grain Valley School District vote today on a $9.5 million bond issue that would allow for the next phase of an ongoing high school expansion project.

It is the only issue on the ballot in Eastern Jackson County.

Voters approved previous bond issues in 2012 and 2013. Passing this one will not raise the district tax levy rate of 5.4612 – or just more than $5.46 per $100,000 of assessed valuation. A two-thirds majority is required to pass the bond issue.

If the bond issue passes, the school district plans to:

• Add seven new high school classrooms, plus restrooms and collaboration spaces, to the northeast corner of the high school.

• Renovate about half of the existing classrooms between the new phase and the 2013 phase.

• Add a greenhouse to the southeast corner of the school.

• Build eight new tennis courts at the former school bus lot immediately west of the baseball and softball fields and repurpose the former transportation building into student activity space

• Add a plaza area with restrooms, concession stand, press box and storage for the baseball, softball and tennis programs.

• Add 200 parking spaces south of the building for school and activity parking.

Alternative projects, depending on how bids for the base projects come in, could include another practice field, another 100-200 parking spaces, further classroom renovation and restroom renovations near the school office and commons area.

Assistant Superintendent Brad Welle said the $9.5 million figure represents roughly how much the district has paid off since the 2014 bond issue, thus keeping the levy rate from increasing.

The district has doubled in size in the last 11 years to about 4,200 students in pre-K through 12th grade, including 1,200 in the high school. When the long-term expansion project was first approved in 2012, the high school had a capacity of 850 students.