Voters will decide on a proposed nearly $93.8 million school bond issue by Ralston Public Schools dubbed “Future Ready Ralston.”

In the first major school bond proposal by RPS since 2001, the plan would demolish and rebuild one elementary school, while other schools in the district would get much needed upgrades to aging facilities and build a baseball and softball field at the high school.

In total, RPS has eight schools in the district, six elementary schools, one middle school and a high school serving approximately 3,300 students.

The six elementary schools in the district are Blumfield, Karen Western, Meadows, Mockingbird, Seymour and Wildewood. Ralston Middle School and Ralston High School round out the district.

In 2001, voters approved a $26.5 million bond issue to renovate Ralston High School. Under the proposed bond issue, improvements would be made to every school in the district. All six elementary schools were built in the 1960s or early ’70s and have not been renovated except Karen Western in 1996.

“We haven’t done a project like this in a long time and we feel like now is the time to do that,” Ralston Public Schools Superintendent Mark Adler said at an information session on July 13 at Wildewood Elementary School. “For me, this is about investing in our kids. This is about what the next 15, 20, 25 years is going to look like and what is education going to look like for our kids. Are we going to provide them with the opportunities that other students in the metro area and across Nebraska, and quite honestly around the world have?”

The main focuses of the proposal are improving safety and security, enhancing learning environments, improving technology and infrastructure and improving building, energy and system efficiencies.

“I want our kids and our staff to have the best learning environments that there are, so this is an opportunity for us to look at what that looks like and how we can arm our kids and our staff with the things they need to be successful when they leave Ralston High School,” Adler said.

Ralston Middle School and each elementary school would get security-vestibule entrances, which are common today. The vestibules provide a secure space secured by two or more sets of doors that someone entering the school would have to enter through and be buzzed-in from there.

The two biggest projects are Mockingbird Elementary, with a proposed cost of $21,774,401 and Ralston High School, $33,763,657. The overall bond projects total $93,762,149.

Mockingbird, built in 1964, would be demolished and a new school built behind the old building.

Officials determined that Mockingbird was not a candidate for renovation because of how much is outdated and the cost to remodel would not be efficient. Plaster ceilings, single pane windows, inconvenient pick-up/drop-off and outdated and inefficient heat pumps for every classroom are among the main considerations. The brick exterior is also showing age with some bricks shifting inward.

The focuses of the bond issue were decided after a facility study by an architecture firm and through meetings and feedback with school officials and the public.

“(Mockingbird) is an old school on multiple levels, and is just not a candidate for remodeling like (the other schools) are,” Adler said. “The other campus locations are easily remodeled where you can make it super nice on the inside and modern. We’ve talked to our architects about this, and if we remodeled (Mockingbird) we would end up spending a lot of money and still have an old school that really isn’t usable.”

Ralston High School’s proposal would replace the grandstands and press box at the football field, add baseball and softball fields and replace sidewalks and parking lots throughout campus. Inside, improvements include career education renovations, a health clinic and an additional gym.

Adler noted one reason for the public to get behind the project is the school district’s fiscal status and responsibility. In the past 10 years, RPS has reduced the district levy.

“Over time, we’ve worked really hard to pay down our debt and manage our levy,” Adler said. “Over the last 10 years our levy has either stayed the same or reduced. With that said, we’re also very close to being debt free in the district, which is a big thing. Ten years ago, we probably had 40 to 50 million dollars worth of debt and now in the next year or year and a half we’ll be debt free. That’s part of why we feel like it’s time to invest in our kids.”

The final Future Ready Ralston presentation took place Wednesday. District officials will continue to gather feedback and survey results with the findings presented at the Board of Education meeting on Monday, July 26.  Board members will review the results and decide on a final plan the district will take to voters this fall.

This decision about placing the bond measure on the ballot will take place at the Board of Education meeting on Monday, Aug. 9.

For more information on plans for each school, visit ralstonschools.org/Page/6443.