Mahomet-Seymour Facility Committee indicates support for new elementary school with junior high renovation or rebuild

After three meetings this year, the Mahomet-Seymour Facilities Committee indicated support for constructing a new elementary school for second and third graders near Middletown Prairie Elementary and renovating or rebuilding Mahomet-Seymour Junior High School at its current location to alleviate district overcrowding.

At the committee’s April 16 meeting, members voiced preferences among four facility options presented by the district. 

Among the favored options, “Scenario 2d,” involves building a new second and third-grade elementary school on the district’s 74-acre site and renovating/expanding the current junior high. An alternative, “Scenario 2e,” proposes erecting a new elementary school and demolishing the existing junior high to replace it on the same site.

Under these plans, Lincoln Trail Elementary would serve fourth and fifth graders. Of the 39 votes cast, each scenario with a new elementary school on the district’s empty property received 16 individual votes. Committee members were given orange and pink post-it notes to cast their votes and write down additional suggestions for the district to consider. 

Another option, “Scenario 3a,” which garnered four votes, would construct a new junior high near Middletown Prairie Elementary, converting the current junior high for fourth and fifth grades. 

“Scenario 3b,” receiving three votes, suggests building a new junior high near Middletown Prairie Elementary and a new elementary for grades 4-5 on the current junior high property.

Both options would open up Lincoln Trail Elementary to additional elementary students in grades two and three. 

Recent attempts to build a junior high on district land south of Middletown Prairie have failed.

Committee members worked in groups during the facility meetings. In the same meeting where individual votes were called for, groups were also instructed to choose between the two options that included a new elementary school (2d and 2e) and a new junior high school (3a and 3b). 

When the eight groups voted, four votes were split between 2d and 2e. Those same groups split differently on option 3a with five votes and 3b at three votes. Some of the deciding factors could have been that 3a is a projected $25 million less in Phase 1 and $6 million less overall. Another factor could have been that while Mahomet-Seymour Junior High School was built in 1961, the building has gone through two major renovations in the past 30 years, including a large addition with 10 additional classrooms and a new band and chorus classroom spaces.

The committee, formed through applications and district recruitment, planned to launch a community survey in April and May,  but this survey has yet to be distributed.

According to committee documents, the school board is expected to review the committee’s recommendations on May 20 and decide in July on a November referendum.

This publication accessed the committee documents as provided by committee members. A May 1 FOIA request, which sought various meeting-related materials that have been distributed to various sources, was put on a five-day extension notice by the Mahomet-Seymour School District on Wednesday. The district cited the need for a thorough evaluation of the records and operational interference as reasons for the delay. FOIA extensions have become common practice for the Mahomet-Seymour School District. 

During facility meetings led by architects Damien Schlitt of BLDD and Tom Crabtree from Stifel, the committee explored the district’s needs and the referendum’s impact on taxpayers.

Each scenario aims to address K-8 overcrowding potentially over a decade, using various funding sources. Alongside a tax increase for property owners, the district signaled to committee members that it has $40 million available that would not raise the tax rate. It is also assumed that the district will have additional sales tax dollars come available when bonds for Middletown Prairie are paid off in 2031. 

The estimated costs for the scenarios Phase I and Phase II are: $174.5 million for Scenario 2d, $187.8 million for Scenario 2e, $187.3 million for Scenario 3a, and $192.7 million for Scenario 3b. According to committee documents, those costs will be split between the two phases. 

During the second session, the committee members evaluated seven potential facility scenarios, casting the most votes for new elementary facilities. Proposals for a new building for fourth and fifth graders and a new junior high school ranked second, while a new high school was the third most popular choice.

Recent surveys over the past five years indicate a community preference for locating elementary students near Middletown Prairie Elementary and placing junior high and high school students, along with athletic facilities, on the town’s west side. Some residents believe constructing a new high school could address the district’s long-term capacity challenges as the area continues to expand. The district has said the cost of a new high school would be high, but briefly talked about looking for land more than a year ago. 

Development plans for the area east of Middletown Prairie currently focus on commercial uses, but zoning discussions and communications with developers reveal significant potential for more residential developments on both sides of Praireview Road in the upcoming years. 

*Editor’s Note: Should the Mahomet-Seymour School District fulfill the original FOIA request, additional information will be provided as needed. At this time, this article provides information as presented to the Facility Committee.