USD 352 presents plan for new career and technical education building, asks voters to consider sales-tax extension

Bill Beerman, the school district representative for Unified School District 352, told the Sherman County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday that the district is proposing a new Career & Technical Education building and will ask voters in November to approve a six‑year extension of the district's current quarter‑cent sales tax to fund the work.

Beerman said the proposal calls for a new, roughly $4 million facility west of the high school to replace and expand the current 1971 CTE shed. He told commissioners the new building would include larger welding and woodshop spaces, a STEM lab, a makerspace/robotics room, a multimedia/broadcast studio and areas designed for modern ventilation and electrical systems used by today's programs.

The district's presentation said a remodel of the existing building had been estimated at about $2.7 million but would not deliver the desired space; the board therefore recommended building new. The district told commissioners it has about $1.5 million in capital outlay savings but would rely on the bond plus the extended sales tax to fund the project. Beerman said the current 20‑year bond program (originally 8.75 mills) is on track to be paid off early and that the plan before voters would lower the school's mill levy to about 3.3 mills for six years, contingent on the sales tax extension.

Supporters at the meeting urged the board to back the project. Joe Glass, a resident and former chairman emeritus of the Kansas Technical Authority, urged commissioners to support technical education and said local employers need trained workers.

Beerman said construction management at-risk (CMAR) will be used; he indicated Bart's Construction had been selected to oversee the project and that trade work would be competitively bid, with opportunities for local contractors.

The district plans to place a question on the Nov. ballot to extend the quarter‑cent sales tax already in place for the district's prior bond. Beerman said the measure is not a new tax but an extension of the current quarter‑cent tax for a shorter period tied to the new bond so the district can borrow at bond rates rather than higher lease‑purchase rates. He also described a timeline in which construction could begin in March or April following a successful election.

The presentation included estimates for how the change would affect taxpayers and a plan to consolidate and sell several district-owned outbuildings once the new CTE facility is in use. Beerman said grant funding and equipment grants could offset some costs but that the bond question is the primary funding mechanism under consideration.

The board did not take formal action on the proposal during the meeting; commissioners asked questions and were given materials the district had posted on its website for public review.

Beerman provided contact information and said district staff and the board had not used taxpayer funds for publicity of the materials he shared. He encouraged residents with questions to contact the central office.

Ending: The district's proposal will appear on the Nov. ballot if the board and the city complete required procedural steps; commissioners did not vote on the bond question during the meeting and no referendum language was adopted at this session.