The Geary school board has called a vote for a new $30.72 million K‐12 facility
GEARY – A new Geary school building will be on the August ballot for voters in southern Blaine County after Monday’s meeting of the Geary School Board.
The board voted to hold its election on Tuesday, Aug. 23, asking local voters for $30,720,000 for a new K-12 facility that would be built on the site of the current Geary High School.
If passed, the bond would bump local property taxes by 54.67% but would also provide much-needed infrastructure for the district, which hasn’t built a new school in decades and currently has no bonds on the tax rolls.
The $30.72 million figure is actually slightly lower than what the district had estimated earlier this year. Su perintendent Sean Buchanan said it’s possible the final price tag will be even lower than that, but passing the bond would ensure the district spends no more than $30.72 million on the school.
The K-12 facility is the only project involved in the August bond vote.
Buchanan has spent the past year, ever since he was hired in summer 2021, researching and preparing for a bond election. The district has held community meetings and discussed the issue during several school board meetings throughout the year.
GPS explored the possibility of renovating its current facilities, or building the school in phases, before arriving at its current plan of building a new all-encompassing facility all at once. It’s the least expensive option, Buchanan determined.
The past weeks have been spent ironing out final details, like what to do about the beloved “Old Gym,” before proceeding. Renovating the gym would have added additional cost to the bond. Buchanan said that, based on community feedback, the district will not salvage the Old Gym but rather will try to echo its design elements and aesthetic in the new facility.
Details are still being finalized but, should the bond pass, Buchanan anticipates that construction would begin in spring 2023 and last about 16 months.
Previous Geary Superintendent Todd Glasgow tried to pass a school bond multiple times, to no avail. Tax hikes are a tough sell in Geary, which has poverty levels above the national average, and the August bond would be a stiff increase for a town with no school bonds on the books.
But Buchanan has pointed out that, should Geary Public Schools close – a growing possibility given the dis trict’s aging facilities – the town would be absorbed into some neighboring school district, and everyone’s property taxes would go up, anyway.
Buchanan anticipates there will be floorplans and renderings of the proposed new school available within the coming weeks.