Superintendent to gather community input on possible future bond; board agrees to conversations without formal resolution

Superintendent Chuck Hughes told the board he has begun collecting possible project lists and would like permission to solicit community input on a future school bond. Trustees generally supported starting conversations and requested the administration circulate a plan for outreach and stakeholder engagement.

Hughes said the district is finishing work tied to the 2020 bond and that constituents are already asking about the next bond. He explained the initial phase is information-gathering: "I would like to have the board's permission to start at least pulling together thoughts on what a future bond might look like. Now we have here at central office started a list of future bond projects that we think need to be done." He emphasized this first step is gathering a "wish list" and not a request to spend or a final package.

Trustees asked for clarity about the outreach approach and suggested the superintendent provide a short plan showing who will be contacted and how. Mr. Scott and others suggested providing baselines — for example, the district's current number of partnerships and existing work-order/ticket baselines — so any proposed bond can be compared against current conditions.

Administration outlined a range of timing scenarios depending on taxable value growth and list size; Hughes said an election could be as early as August 2027 or as late as May 2028 depending on financial modeling, community input and board direction. The board declined to adopt a formal resolution authorizing the superintendent to proceed, with trustees agreeing informal permission to begin community conversations was sufficient. Hughes said he will share a proposed outreach list with trustees in the coming weeks.