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Hastings trustees present $38M bond plan to add classrooms, new cafeteria and entryway ahead of June 17 vote
Summary
Trustees said a $38.4M bond would address decades‑old deterioration at the Farragut complex, add six middle‑school classrooms by repurposing an old cafeteria, build a new courtyard cafeteria and create an accessible entryway; design details will be set during a public design phase if voters approve.
Trustee presenter Alex (Presenter) opened a public forum on June 9 to explain a proposed $38.4 million bond that would repair aging systems across Hastings schools and add classroom space at the Farragut complex ahead of the June 17 vote. The package includes building systems work, a new cafeteria, an accessible main entry and the conversion of an existing cafeteria into six classrooms.
The trustees say the bond is aimed at the Farragut middle‑ and high‑school complex, a group of connected buildings built in stages beginning in 1902. ‘‘We have a space problem. We need to add square footage,’’ the presenter said, citing a roughly 10,000‑square‑foot shortfall in middle‑school instructional space that has never been restored. He said the high school totals about 66,000 square feet while the middle school is roughly 38,000.
Why it matters: Trustees argued the shortage affects instruction, special‑education delivery and student safety. The presentation cited state and professional guidance showing many middle‑school classrooms fall below recommended sizes and described situations in which fifth‑grade science labs and art instruction are delivered on carts because adequate rooms do not exist.
The plan’s classroom component (Proposition 2) repurposes about 6,000 square feet of an existing cafeteria into five general‑education classrooms and one special‑education room, a change the trustees said restores roughly 20% of middle‑school classroom area. A new, north‑facing cafeteria would be built in a currently unused interior courtyard; trustees said the conceptual design increases cafeteria capacity by about 33 percent, adds restrooms and creates faster, safer circulation to outdoor play areas.
Trustees emphasized that renderings are conceptual and that ‘‘a bond is about authorization to spend’’ a maximum amount; detailed design and public review would follow only if voters approve the proposition. The board also called out a recent series of unplanned repairs — including a library ceiling collapse and other events — and a major roof‑level pipe failure that caused roughly $10 million in insured damage in the Farragut wing. The presenter said the district has done building‑condition and space‑use surveys with technical partners and refined the proposal over three years of public input.
On accessibility, the bond would fund a roughly $940,000 entryway intended to improve access and to start a phased program of mobility upgrades; trustees said the entryway itself would be ADA‑compliant but that further work (additional elevators or phased accessibility projects) would be studied during the design phase. The trustees said state building‑aid rules mean a 47.5 percent reimbursement rate would lock in if the bond is authorized in 2025, and cautioned that construction costs have risen faster than general inflation in recent years.
If the propositions pass, the district said it will move to a public design process and construction would begin in a multi‑year phasing schedule; if voters reject the bond, trustees said the district lacks a cheaper alternative able to deliver the same classroom and accessibility results.
The trustees closed by directing residents to bondhohschools.org for documents and noting the June 17 vote would determine whether the district proceeds.
