This story by Liz Sauchelli was first published in the Valley News on Sept. 19.
SOUTH ROYALTON — A $3.8 million bond to fund a variety of renovations to the White River Unified District’s middle and high schools — including a performing arts center — will go before Bethel and Royalton voters in November.
Voters can cast their ballots on Tuesday, Nov. 5 at the same time they vote in the presidential election.
The project is estimated to cost $6.8 million; some $3 million is expected to be funded by the district’s reserve funds, as well as grants and donations raised by the district’s boosters. White River Valley Supervisory Union Superintendent Jamie Kinnarney has said during public meetings that district officials will continue to pursue grant opportunities. If approved, the 20-year bond would cover the rest.
The majority of the cost — around $4.1 million — will go toward a performing arts center in South Royalton. Other upgrades call for $385,000 to update and expand workshop and welding areas, and $642,000 for secure entrances at both the middle and high schools. The two-town district’s middle school is in Bethel, while its high school is in South Royalton.
School officials have said during past meetings that the performing arts center is needed, in part, because the district does not have enough space for students to comfortably fit and sound levels are unsafe. Kinnarney previously told the Valley News that at least 40% of White River Valley High School students are involved in performing arts and that the district has been recruiting more choice students. The district also has seen an increase in the number of students interested in taking tech education programs, including mechanics, furniture building and welding.
“There’s a lot more demand than (the current space) can satisfy,” School Board Chairman Andrew Jones said during an August meeting. “We’d expect this demand for these programs to continue to grow.”
The board plans to defer the bond’s principal payments by two years, only paying interest during that time.
After that, taxpayers would pay both the interest and principal, with a projected tax rate impact of around 2.8 cents, Tara Weatherell, business manager at White River Valley Supervisory Union, wrote in an email. That amounts to $28.90 per $100,000 of assessed value.
Because the rate would be “reduced each year as the principal is paid down,” Weatherell wrote, it will drop to $11.80 per $100,000 of assessed value during the last year of payments. The tax rate would be the same for both towns.
Board members unanimously approved the warning during their Sept. 17 meeting and plan on releasing more details about the proposal during the coming weeks.
The board will host at least one public information meeting about the project on Wednesday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m., at White River Valley High School in South Royalton and online via GoogleMeet.
Read the story on VTDigger here: School bond to go before Royalton and Bethel voters in November.