Appropriations Committee advances House Bill 259 after Sheridan County testimony on deferred maintenance

The House Appropriations Committee voted to pass House Bill 259, a supplemental K‑12 school facilities appropriation measure, after hearing testimony from a Sheridan County schools official about several local projects and broader deferred maintenance needs.

Troy Decker, facilities director for Sheridan County School District 2, told the committee the district manages 25 buildings, including six elementary schools and two high schools, totaling about 834,000 square feet. “The school facilities division . . . has identified $16,818,050 of expenditures through 2025 to keep up with our deferred maintenance,” Decker said, citing pavement, flooring, playground equipment, exterior walls and roofing among priority items.

Decker also described two projects he said are included in the bill: replacement or remediation work on a dust collection system at Sheridan High School tied to air‑quality concerns in a lab, and a roof replacement at Sagebrush Elementary. He said the Sagebrush roof is a single‑ply membrane installed in 2005 whose warranty expires this year, and that the membrane is “beginning to split” with moisture penetration and separation in barrel roof sections. Decker said advanced‑technology lab equipment has increased electrical and ventilation demand; he told the committee nine pieces of equipment were not currently connected and that the lab runs seven periods per day with 15–20 students per class.

The bill’s sponsor and committee clerk worked the measure page by page; the committee closed public comment before taking action. A roll‑call vote recorded seven ayes and no nays: Representative Aleman (Aye); Representative Angelos (Aye); Representative Harrelson (Aye); Representative Pendergraft (Aye); Representative Sherwood (Aye); Representative Smith (Aye, via proxy); and Chairman Bair (Aye). The committee reported House Bill 259 do pass with amendments.

Why it matters: The bill authorizes targeted capital and major maintenance funding for school facilities statewide; Decker’s testimony highlighted local safety and instructional‑capacity impacts that the district says will be addressed if the listed projects receive funds. The committee did not increase or decrease the specific Sheridan line items during the meeting beyond confirming that the projects appear in section 1 (2‑6 and 2‑17) of the bill as presented.

The committee then moved on to other capital bills. No additional public testimony was recorded on House Bill 259 during the session.