Region 15 board reviews school-replacement options, reimbursement scenarios ahead of possible May referendum

Regional School District 15 officials spent the bulk of their meeting reviewing options, timelines and state-reimbursement scenarios for replacing two elementary schools and preparing for a possible May referendum.

Superintendent Smith told the board that staff and consultants had prepared a timeline showing land due diligence, ongoing community engagement and conceptual designs aimed at supporting a May referendum. "If we are still intending to do a May referendum, these are the things that we need to work through," Superintendent Smith said, outlining parallel work on due diligence and conceptual design.

The district presented three high-level options previously discussed by the space committee: (1) build a single combined school on a large site (previously labeled 3D, which staff said is not feasible), (2) build two schools on existing sites (4B), and (3) rebuild Gainesville and seek a new site for PES (4C). Staff said the working assumption for both replacement schools is about 504 projected students and a building footprint of roughly 95,000 square feet per school, a size the district says reflects…