GFW School District board votes to call special election on 10-year capital projects levy and $3.2M bond

The GFW School District board voted on July 20 to call a special election that, if approved by voters, would authorize a 10-year capital projects levy and a $3.2 million bond to demolish two vacant district buildings and pay related abatement and site work.

Superintendent (speaking during the presentation) said the capital projects levy would generate roughly $400,000 a year for 10 years and that the levy funds would be restricted to major capital needs such as transportation, technology and curriculum. "Everything that we're doing tonight and talking about isn't going to take effect until 2028 at the earliest," the Superintendent said, framing the plan as multi-year, long-range budgeting.

The presentation included homeowner impact estimates. For the capital projects levy, staff estimated the annual increase on a home with a $175,000 market value at about $22 per year (roughly $2 per month). For the building bond question, staff estimated about a $24 annual increase on the same example; staff also said the state "aid to school" credit would cover roughly 55% of certain property-related costs tied to the bond estimate.

Board members discussed the scope of the bond, which the superintendent said covers not only demolition but required tasks such as asbestos abatement, environmental compliance, site surveys, utility disconnection and site restoration. The superintendent outlined a post-election schedule tied to the bond question: planning and surveys to begin in November, demolition design and abatement coordination in January 2027, bidding in March 2027, and construction management in spring–summer 2027.

The board also approved agreements to engage PTMA Financial Solutions as municipal advisor for bond issuance and Wold Architects and Engineers to assist with demolition planning, with staff noting those contracts are contingent on successful passage of the ballot questions. During the presentation the superintendent cautioned against acting on speculation about property turnover in the Fairfax building and said the district had "not received any official documentation" from the bankruptcy process.

Next steps: if the board's resolution stands, the district will begin public information and outreach immediately, with formal adoption of the resolution required by mid-August and the measures appearing on the November ballot. The board scheduled a special meeting to canvass election results between Nov. 6 and Nov. 17 should a vote be required.