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Consultant outlines $52 million priority list, warns high school needs major work
Summary
A facilities consultant told the Hancock County Board of Education that the district has lost about 5.6% enrollment over five years, identified significant mechanical and roofing needs at multiple campuses and presented a $52 million priority package and bond timetable—while recommending a staged approach and urging a special election rather than tying a bond to a general election.
A consultant hired to assess Hancock County School District facilities told the Board of Education on Sept. 4 that the district is facing capacity and condition problems that will require major spending and careful timing.
"You've lost 5.6, in the last 5 years, of enrollment," consultant Garrett Bailey said, and noted the high school and Hancock North are at or over capacity while other campuses have room to grow. Bailey presented two principal approaches: a limited repair‑and‑renew (R&R) strategy estimated at roughly $42,000,000 and a more extensive high‑school‑focused option with individual components that could total more under a rebuild scenario. He identified a $27,000,000 package as the main, major high‑school work to address linked academic buildings and functional reorganization.
Bailey recommended a $52,000,000 priority list that targets essential mechanical, roofing and instructional‑space work across campuses and stressed those numbers include contingencies and fees. He singled out the high school for major attention—replacing a center building to better connect campus functions, replacing worn roofs and addressing HVAC systems—and recommended improvements to athletic and performing‑arts facilities, a multipurpose building at the middle/CTC campus, and small classroom additions at elementary sites to address short‑term capacity needs.
The consultant urged the board to consider phasing construction to keep schools in operation and to use a bond to fund the work rather than drawing down operating budgets. On timing he advised against scheduling a bond referendum on the general election day. "Never ever ever do a bond issue on the same day as the general election," Bailey said, recommending instead a special election in late spring with roughly two months of market outreach and preparatory legal work beginning in October.
Board members asked practical questions about whether adding four classrooms or redrawing attendance boundaries would be a more cost‑effective way to relieve crowding; Bailey said both were possible and that boundary adjustments could be used administratively but might cause community objections. He also described maintenance‑building expansions, reroofing options (including retrofits over existing metal roofs), and recommendations for turfing athletic practice areas.
The board requested more detailed cost breakdowns and finance options; Bond counsel Jim Young (referenced in the presentation) was said to be working with district staff on rolling bond maturities and exact tax impact calculations. Bailey said the priority list and appendix include itemized costs and that he would return with a final draft when the board requested it. The transcript does not record a final vote on a bond motion at the Sept. 4 meeting.
The board is expected to take the consultant's materials under further review and to receive a more detailed finance memo from district staff and bond counsel before any vote or public bond decision is scheduled.
