The Facts About Our Schools

Recently, my school district announced that they would be running a bond issue to renovate two middle schools and build a brand new high school. The process to get to this point has been going on since 2009 when my community passed a bond issue to address elementary schools. Enrollment trends indicated that our elementary aged student numbers were growing rapidly and we needed to get our elementary schools up to speed. Now that this process is nearly complete, the School Board is coming back to the community to ask them to support the secondary schools. The funny thing about elementary kids is that they tend to turn in to middle school students and then high school students. The problem is that if the secondary schools aren't equipped to handle this amount of students, we find ourselves in a little bit of a pickle.

Here are the FACTS: 

• Our largest classes in history are advancing in grade levels and we need additional classroom space in a building that is already overcrowded.
• The cafeteria at the high school is undersized for the current student population, so students are sitting on the floors and in the locker rooms to eat.
• The high school was opened in 1960 and needs major overhauls to HVAC, boilers, and other building codes.
• The WAY we teach is evolving and requires more collaborative spaces for students.
• One of our middle schools was opened in 1968 and it needs extensive remodeling to provide better learning areas for students, more classroom space, and renovations to the roof and operating systems.
• A bond could be passed without raising the tax levy. This is such a rare occurrance and cannot be overlooked. The 2009 levy override and the 1996 bond will end in 2014 freeing 13+ cents in taxing authority. A new high school and renovations to both middle schools could be built WITHOUT RAISING THE TAX LEVY.

To give you a little insight on the state of affairs at the current high school, check out the video below.

Kearney High School Past, Present, and Future
Kearney High School has a rich tradition. In fact, in the 1960's the Kearney High building was state of the art. Check out the pamphlet that was distributed to the community at the dedication by clicking HERE. A story that I often like to tell is that when I came to Kearney and walked my mother (1964 KHS Grad) around the building, she commented that "This place hasn't changed a bit." Additionally, when reunion tours are provided to alumni, this sentiment is made quite often. While this is wonderful for nostalgia, it doesn't reflect the current needs/trends in education. The original building has largely gone unchanged since 1960 and while additions have been added to accommodate steady growth, the fact of the matter is that our 21st Century students are trying to learn in a building that was formulated in the 1960.

While the image below is only a CONCEPTUAL design of how a building might sit on the proposed site, what it doesn't show is the inner workings of a building. Student and teacher collaborative spaces that will help them prepare for work in the 21st Century, a larger cafeteria, clear separation of activity and academic spaces, a safe and secure environment for our students to learn in, and room to grow.

Kearney has a long tradition of producing top notch students and this will continue to happen in spite of our current facility. Our students deserve the best because they are our future. 

It is abundantly clear that our secondary schools need some tender loving care so Kearney Public Schools can continue to progress towards achieving the mission of CREATING an environment of respect, INSPIRING the love of learning, and expecting EXCELLENCE from all.They have served our community for a long time and have impacted thousands of students. A vote will be held on September 10th to address these needs and I urge you to get informed about the issues so you can make an informed vote.