2024 Facility Reimagining Team

Bonds are for buildings. Levies are for learning and operations.

WHAT IS A BOND?

A bond provides funding for capital projects such as purchasing property for schools, constructing new schools or modernizing existing schools. Bonds are sold to investors who are repaid with interest over time from property tax collections, generally between 10-25 years.

Bonds require a supermajority to pass (60%)

A bond must pass in order for the district to receive School Construction Assistance Program (SCAP or State Match)

WHAT IS A LEVY?

A levy is a short-term, local property tax passed by the voters of a school district that generates revenue for the district to fund programs and services that the state does not fund or fully fund as part of "basic education."

• CAPITAL LEVY (which include tech levies): fund things like modern technology, enhanced building security and renovation projects. Capital levies can be approved for up to six years.
• EP&O LEVY: Enrichment levies, also known as Educational Programs and Operations (EP&O), fund important school services like teachers, support staff, supplies and materials or services that the state only partially funds or doesn't fund at all. State money for schools provided via the prototypical funding model does not fully cover the actual costs of operating a school district, so enrichment or EP&O levies bridge the funding gap. Enrichment levies can be approved for up to four years.
• TRANSPORTATION LEVY: Transportation levies fund things like new buses or major repairs to older buses to prolong their useful life. Transportation levies can be approved for up to two years.

Levies require a simple majority to pass (50% + 1)

A levy must pass for Levy Equalization of Local Effort Assistance (LEA)

How much of the 2019 Bond is left? 

Roughly $6.2 million of state matching funds remain from the Columbia Ridge Elementary and Ephrata Middle School projects. All $27.89 million of local funds were spent on these two schools. 

How much state match did Ephrata receive by project?

Ephrata Schools received a total of $53.9 million in state matching funds for projects across the school district. Dollars received for projects that have yet to be completed stay with each school / building until work begins. These dollars may only be used for these buildings. 

*Ephrata School District was eligible for these dollars at the time of the projects. These funds may increase / change as state funding evolves.

What was the original budget for Columbia Ridge Elementary and EMS?

Columbia Ridge Elementary:  $22,483,688

Ephrata Middle School: $28,631,212

What was the budget for Grant Elementary?

Original budget:  $14, 481,204

*Bid costs came in higher by 63%.

What does it mean to defease a bond?

Defeasance is a process that sets aside and invests the remaining bond dollars in escrow to ensure that the principle and interest payments on the bonds are guaranteed and can be made when the bonds come due. By defeasing $6.2 Million in remaining bond funds, the school district projects taxpayers will save roughly $8.1 Million in taxes over 15 years. ($0.16/$1,000 to $0.48/$1,000 depending on the year)

The process sets up the District's ability to stop taxing Ephrata taxpayers for the portion of the defeased bonds. The earliest this can occur is December 2028, when the 2019 bond becomes callable.

Improved Safety, Security and Other Facility Needs

Original Bond Flyer Language: In the 2019 Bond, the Ephrata School District divided the long-term needs of the district into two phases. Phase I consists of the items below. Phase II will be reviewed in 2028-2029 when Parkway becomes eligible for state matching funds."

The Commitment: Increased Safety & Security District-Wide

• Improve and add lighting
• Upgrade video systems, add keyless entry & auto locking doors
• Install fencing to create a safety barrier for students & staff

The Commitment: New Classrooms

• Construct eight permanent classrooms to replace portables at Columbia Ridge Elementary. Also addresses long-range planning.

The Commitment: Three New Multi-Purpose Gyms

• Multi-purpose gyms will be large enough to address current and future enrollment as well as co-curricular needs.
• Build multi-purpose gyms at Columbia Ridge and Grant Elementary to accommodate PE, music, band and community events.
• Build multi-purpose gyms at EMS to accommodate a weight room, PE locker rooms, a standard basketball court, bleachers & music.

The Commitment: Englarging Cafeterias

• Remove music stages from Columbia Ridge and Grant Elementary cafeterias.
• Enlarge and reconfigure cafeterias after relocating the music programs to the new gyms.

The Commitment: Office Remodels 

• Remodel office spaces at Columbia Ridge and Grant Elementary to allow staff to have a direct line of sight to the front door and the ability to control entry into the building.

The Commitment: Performing Arts Center (PAC) and PAC Gym

• Renovate existing PAC: Increase ceiling height, replace stage and rigging, upgrade to theater seating, add new entryway doors, upgrade sound and lighting along with control panels.
• Remodel PAC gym area used for band & choir performance: Upgrade sound and lighting, new control panels, new seating and acoustical treatments, while maintaining the ability to house all current PE and athletic events.

The Commitment: Roofs

• Replace roofs with a 15-year roofing product to protect our schools’ assets.

Our Facilities Reimagining Team asked for some of the biggest “lessons learned” following the construction projects associated with the 2019 bond. These are some of those lessons.

Expand Bond Leadership Team: Having the right people in the room when planning matters.

The Ephrata School District’s initial team did not include a construction management firm. Inclusion would have provided a more complete plan and potentially cause the district to:

• Construct "new and in lieu*" instead of renovating Columbia Ridge.
• Pick a progressive construction planning process that would allow the district to be more nimble and react to changing scenarios more easily.
  • Flexibility in construction design to adapt to changing needs
  • More flexible construction information up-front to allow for better financial planning.

*New and in lieu = A new building built instead of remodeling an existing building, consistent with cost / benefit analysis

Increase Transparency

Provide consistent updates on construction ro our families, staff and community. Share progress towards commitments and celebrate success and share challenges in real time.

Eliminate Construction Phasing if Possible

Breaking a project into distinct phases, where construction activities are carried out sequentially, was extremely difficult for our students, staff and community. We will seek to find a different process where each phase is not dependent on the next.

What We’ve Completed Means We Can Do More with the Next Bond

Finding and utilizing state match dollars to make our projects go further means that many items that would have been on the next Ephrata School District bond are already complete. We can accomplish more across the district with this next bond.