April Referendum Hopes to Correct Problems
By Doug Dalager
As Superior residents prepare to vote on the school referendum being proposed by the School District of Superior in April, there have been extensive “conversations” on Facebook regarding maintenance or the lack thereof at the high school. Explore Superior reached out to District Administrator Janna Stevens in an attempt to understand why the school board is recommending the $92.5M referendum, and to address the question of maintenance.
The “Circle” at SHS may be enclosed.
One of the proposed components of the upgrades at the high school has to do with the “circle”. The school, which first opened in 1965, features an open space area in the center of a circle of classrooms. This has become increasingly inefficient as energy prices have risen over the years. Additionally, the nature of the construction has caused numerous problems, which have become exacerbated as the building enters its sixth decade of use. The referendum proposes to fix the facilities issues pertaining to the circle, and a key to that plan is to enclose the circle.
When asked about suggestions that the school district should concentrate on repairs and improved maintenance, rather than school replacement in the case of Cooper Elementary, and major renovations at the high school, she countered by asserting that there have been many maintenance procedures completed at Superior High School over the years with the goal of extending its use. She promised to address the replacement of Cooper in an upcoming submission to Explore Superior.
Stevens went on to say, “The current issues driving replacement of the circle are far greater than failing masonry systems. If the issue were purely maintenance the existing structure would be maintained like other portions of the building.”
SHS during 2012 floods
Under the referendum plan, there are large portions of the existing high school facility that will be kept and upgraded to meet current code, safety and security needs. According to Stevens, they high school will also receive replacement mechanical and electrical systems that resolve end-of-life system issues. An added benefit will be improved energy efficiency which will save tax payer dollars.
Stevens went on to say that “the needs driving replacement of the circle are not limited to any one issue.”
She provided the following list of some of the issues the district hopes to resolve with the help of the April referendum:
- Safety and security issues regarding control and sight-lines, which causes difficulty in dealing with issues that arise when dealing with a student population and their protection;
- Exterior envelope issues including brick, lack of handicap accessibility, water entering the tunnels, along with a roof that has only a few years of service left;
- Insulation is non-existent in the exterior walls, which have no air barrier, or moisture barrier of any type;
- Technology plays an increasing role in education, causing changing educational needs and methods, which necessitates the addition of technology and reconfiguration of space for optimum student learning;
- Ventilation system is at end of its life expectancy, adddditionaly, it is above inaccessible ceilings and fails to meet current ventilation requirements;
- Heating system is original and incurs high annual maintenance costs to keep it functioning, while delivery substandard comfort levels in classrooms;
- Electrical system does not have enough locations or capacity for current technology needs; and
- Lighting is below recommended levels and consumes high rates of electricity with ever-increasing costs.
Entrance to Superior High School | Explore Superior©
Stevens ended our conversation by stressing that it is the culmination of all of the above items that drive the issue for needing new classroom space and building improvements to “preserve and extend the use of the remaining portions of Superior High School.”
For more information about the upcoming school referendum, go to www.SuperiorReferendum.com. The school district also has three more public presentations regarding the referendum scheduled for Wednesday, December 2nd at Great Lakes Elementary, Wednesday, January 6th at Northern Lights Elementary, and Wednesday, February 3rd at Superior Middle School. All meetings will be from 6-8 pm and the public is encouraged to attend.
The school district has already conducted six of these presentations during the months of October and November, and reportedly attendance has been light. Rather than engaging in rants on Facebook that may or may not be based on facts, the public would be much better served if those concerned would attend one of the presentations leading up to the April referendum. Stevens assured Explore Superior that all questions and concerns would be addressed during those meetings.
The School District of Superior has two Facebook pages that you may be interested in joining. The first is the School District of Superior page which has over 2100 followers, and the second is a new page (Superior Referendum) recently created to address the referendum specifically. Whatever your opinion of the proposed referendum, if you have an opinion or a curiosity, you should probably join both of these pages to stay informed.
