Committee talks LPOSD facilities

SANDPOINT — A strategic planning process started by Lake Pend Oreille School District officials last October led to the commission of a Citizens Facility Advisory Committee, which met for the first time last week.

The committee is made up of 23 members from around the community with the purpose of identifying long-term capital construction and property needs of the district. LPOSD Superintendent Shawn Woodward said the first meeting lasted 90 minutes and went "really well."

"It was great to meet all the committee members and continue the conversation about facilities improvement in our district," he said.

The strategic planning process began in October in an effort to drive future decisions of the district by outlining needs and goals over the short- and long-term. Through a public outreach effort that included meetings and a survey, facilities was a recurring theme. Due to the aging infrastructure of the schools, the district ran a controversial $55.1 million plant facilities levy in 2016 that failed. However, with the expressed concern by community members over the need for facility improvements — the majority of which came from the approximately 1,200 survey results earlier this year — Woodward asked LPOSD board members in March for approval to start the application process for a Citizens Facility Advisory Committee. While no formal vote was needed, the board unanimously approved formation of a committee.

In contrast to the 2016 facilities committee, the Aug. 8 CFAC meeting was open to the public, as will be future meetings. Four community members attended last week's meeting, Woodward said.

According to the meeting minutes, Woodward summarized the failed $55.1 million levy and the survey results. The committee then spent about 10 minutes in individual groups sharing ideas as to why they thought the 2016 measure failed. Some ideas as to why the last measure failed included "communication, unsure of the funding formula and the restrictions, lack of specificity as to why buildings were chosen, opponents were loud and the district was not, scope of projects, people became territorial, starting from scratch and not looking into renovation versus rebuild, dollar amount with the sticker shock, rushed decision, not spread out over time, only pro education on committee, needed to be one project at a time, lack of specific costs, tax burden and too much too fast."

Lisa Hals, chief financial and operations officer for the district, outlined the funding options that are available for public school entities in Idaho for new construction or building modernization. According to the minutes, she said there are four possible funding mechanisms, all based on voter approved property taxes — a bond levy, plant facilities levy, maintenance and operations supplemental levy and a lease purchase.

Before the meeting came to a close, committee members expressed the desire to learn more about the facilities at each school, including possible site tours. Hals said a professional firm, including architects and engineers, is conducting site assessments to be completed by Sept. 15. According to the minutes, a member suggested, and others agreed, that simultaneous receipt of the assessment data from these professionals, coupled with a site visit, would be prudent and allow members further clarity and maximize their comprehension. A suggestion was made to record the site visits with the committee and invite the community to join during the site visits with an option of school bus transport.

The committee will continue to meet, in an open-meeting format, once a month. Minutes will be taken at each meeting and notices of the meetings will be posted.

Members of CFAC include Ryan Dignan, Erik Brubaker, Scott Wood, Steve Wedel, Gail Bryan, Jim Fuller, Paula Vincent, Geoff Penrose, Marty Bowne, Jeff Meyer, Arthur Pollock, Randy Wilhelm, Rich Lopez, Victoria Zeischegg, Byron Lewis, Donald Hague, Jeremy Grimm, Jim Woodward, David Bertus, Kendon Perry, Jay VanDenBerg, Joseph Steckmann and Casey McLaughlin.

Woodward, Hals and LPOSD facilities director Matt Diel serve as facilitators during the meetings, but are not official members of the committee. The members of the committee have made a two-year commitment to serve on CFAC.

The strategic planning process will also continue, as the board voted in June to adopt five "overall" priorities as a framework for a strategic plan. The priorities outlined by the strategic planning committee include ensuring academic success for every student, engaging the community, recruiting, training and retaining highly effective personnel, utilizing resources effectively and being fiscally responsible, and providing safe and innovative learning environments.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.