The Mahomet-Seymour School District is gearing up for the fourth session of the Bulldog Blueprint initiative on Oct. 19 (in-person) and Oct. 21 (online).
Billed as a time to develop and evaluate solutions for facilities within the district, BLDD Architect Damien Schlitt said that plans from Session 3 will be refined to include price tags leading up to a referendum to be on the ballot in June 2022.
In session three, the district provided four scenarios: one listed as the “status quo” that would increase square footage at all four Mahomet-Seymour buildings while also adding athletic amenities and a 750-seat auditorium for art, chorus and band; a second moves junior high students into the high school and requires the district to purchase land for a new highschool; and two more that eliminate the current junior high and move grades 6-8 or 5-8 to the Middletown Prairie property.
Separate of the facility scenarios, taxpayers got a first glance of what a $60,000,000, $80,000,000 and $100,000,000 tax referendum would look like on their property tax bills. A home valued at $250,000 could see about an $300 to $800 increase in property taxes over a 20-year period, according to the presentation.
The district hired BLDD Architects and Creative Entourage for $20,000 with an additional $40,000 to come should the referendum pass. According to the contract, BLDD receives additional funds for cost estimating, workshops, prototyping, conceptual plans, 3D massing design and renderings.
Schlitt said participants in Session 3 indicated that the status quo option was a non-starter. Other feedback on the Bulldog Blueprint site includes participants being cautious about the new high school facility because of the need for land while appreciating that it would add space for junior high and high school student growth and development.
Participants also liked that a new middle school could be built on land the district already possesses and that it could be designed for middle school students but separated the junior high and high school and may not address needs long-term.
Participants saw that a 5-8 building would help alleviate crowding at Lincoln Trail but were concerned with the gap of maturity between students in grades 5 through 8.
Board members received an update on the process during the Oct. 4 board meeting, but aren’t expected to take a recommendation from the facilitating committee until March.
Board member Meghan Hennesy said that the title “status quo” was not representative of the option as it did not keep everything the same, but instead actually added square footage in all facilities.
Some community members who have participated in the first three sessions have voiced concern that it appears the conversation is being guided, either by scenario or setup, to build a junior high on the 31-acres south of Middletown Prairie Elementary.
“I’ve had more than a handful of people come to me and tell me that they didn’t feel like they were being heard in these sessions,” she said.
Hennesy recounted some of the feedback she’s heard: “I don’t feel like my voice is being heard; I don’t feel like my input is being captured; we put ideas on the table, nobody takes any notes; I never see it go anywhere, and I never see that idea anywhere again. It has been dismissed at that table.”
“I’ve also had people who do this for a living, come and tell me that they’re very nervous about this process.”
Hennesy added that some people who have shared their concerns will not be in attendance again.
She’s also heard people say that they feel like the information they are given is similar to propaganda, providing constituents with a day-in-the-life of a student or teacher at the junior high, but not telling about what that looks like anywhere else. Hennesy said that she’s been told that because classrooms are so full at the high school, some students have had to sit on the floor during class.
Groups have been encouraged to come to a consensus in their feedback. Schlitt said this should have given participants an opportunity to provide input while Hennesy said that she’s heard that ideas from quieter constituents were not always valued.
Board member Ken Keefe said that he fears the process may leave constituents feeling like they did not have an opportunity to participate in the way that they wished, and asked for the district to find other ways to collect ideas from taxpayers who will ultimately decide the outcome of the referendum.
“We’re gonna need every vote for this,” he said.
Schlitt asked Hennesy if she had ideas about how to collect additional information and she replied that she was not the one hired to facilitate these meetings.
She praised the amount of time that is being offered to constituents—almost 12 hours of public meetings after the whole process is completed—but she urged the district to broaden their net going into a vote that will result in a tax increase.
Schlitt said that he appreciates the feedback, and encouraged those with concerns to come to him so that they could be equally represented. He added that while all scenarios are valuable feedback, at some point the district has to move forward to present an option to the board.
Board member Sunny McMurry asked if teachers had collaborated with the scenarios. Schlitt said that they hadn’t at this point in time, but what was presented was an informed model. He added that whatever option comes to be, teachers will be engaged in the design.
McMurry wanted to know how, for example, junior high teachers felt about moving into the high school, and if it would be a conducive environment for the model they currently use.
Other ideas within the community include:
- Renovating and building a second story onto the junior high school and Lincoln Trail
- Building a new junior high on the current junior high property, tearing down the old building and putting in a parking lot
- Moving Lincoln Trail to the Middletown Prairie property for a K-5 wing, then using the three buildings on the west side of town for 6-8 and athletic complexes
- Beginning to prepare for long-term growth of the district with multiple K-5 elementary schools, multiple junior high schools and one high school
To register for a Bulldog Blueprint community engagement session or to review the presentations or feedback, visit bulldogblueprint.com.
