Wyden Funds Sunsetting

Looking at our future financial picture as a School District, I presented the following information to the Board of Trustees for consideration:

Financial Considerations
Maintenance of Existing Buildings v. New PreK-Grade 8 Facility

1. HB 743 State mandate for building maintenance
- Existing buildings @ 83,394 sq. ft. with current annual cost of $133,430.40
- New Facility @ 78,615 sq. ft. with NO required mandate for first 10 years, then est. $125,784.00 annually.

Savings over first 10 years: $1,257,840.00 ($126,000.00 per year) with annual cost savings thereafter est. $7,647.00 per year.

2. Utility savings (excluding electrical), including propane, water/sewer, and custodial supplies at $62,394.00 per year.

3. Wyden Forest Funds sunset this year. I have placed an annual cap on expenditures from Wyden funds at $325,000.00 this year and the next two years, for a total of three years of operating costs. This represents the majority of our maintenance budget, including utilities, salaries, and building repairs. No major projects are in the budget for the next three years. This leaves our budget in the 2013-14 school year short by the above amount. This leaves the district with some difficult options:
A. Absorb the M&O costs into the budget by cutting programs/salaries.
B. Reduce M&O costs by closing one or more of our schools.
C. Reduce M&O costs by replacing existing schools with a new facility.
D. Hope for an economic upturn that increases state revenue to the district in the above amount.
Note that these options are based on expenditures remaining constant, not increasing.

4. Major repair projects (exceeding $100,000) could potentially shorten the three-year time frame in item 3 above. For example, the cost of replacing the Middle School roof (a current and relatively urgent need) is $280,000.00 to $300,000.00 and would shorten the window for Wyden funds by one year.

5. Certain catastrophic failures (plumbing/electrical) that in a more modern building would not represent a major repair cost do carry a high price tag in the existing buildings and could become major repair projects.

In short, we have a limited window in which to consider options. It is critical that the School Board develop a plan with the community to plan for the pending financial situation brought about by the loss of Wyden Forest funds and/or the imminent need for major project repairs on the existing buildings.


The School Board will be discussing a strategic plan for temporary and permanent closure of buildings based on safety and cost in the October work session, October 24th at the Salmon Middle School.

Liability Question

The question of district/personal liability for injury resulting from building failure was raised in the discussion about delaying the next school bond vote until March 2012. Upon further investigation, this question was discussed in October 2009 after a failed safety inspection of our buildings. An inspector apparently mentioned that failure to act on the information brought to light in the inspection could result in personal liability.

With the Salmon Board of Trustees' actions moving forward with school bond attempts, it is difficult to make any argument for inaction on the part of the Board or District. We will proceed as planned and do our best to keep the buildings safe for our students and to keep the public informed as decisions are made regarding the buildings.

Citizen Feedback

I had a conversation at the Fair yesterday with a citizen active in our community. The individual shared an interesting perspective with me. As a parent, this individual had driven by the Pioneer and Middle School daily for a number of years. With the pending Bond Election and public debate about "need," the individual determined to drive by the facilities and look closely at the real condition of the buildings. It was quite an awakening, seeing exposed rebar protruding from the crumbling concrete around the foundation. The roof of the Middle School seemed poised to drop at the least disturbance. Indeed, what this individual had grown accustomed to seeing on a daily basis took on a new appearance upon closer review.

I reiterate that the reason the School Bond continues to come to the people of Salmon for a vote is that the need has not gone away. Feel free to stop by and take a closer look. See what new people arriving in our community see as they look critically at our school facilities. Ask a teacher about the teaching conditions within the buildings.

Our students deserve better. Our community deserves better.

Bond Election Publicized

“Concerned Citizens” ran a paid advertisement this week warning Salmon voters that the School District is conducting a “secret” bond election. How concerned is this group of citizens? They missed the following:
- Four announcements in the Recorder Herald
- Three announcements on “Voice of the Valley”
- Public Notices of both the election and of the availability of absentee ballots.
- Hundreds of face-to-face conversations with actual concerned citizens with real questions about the need for a new school facility.
- Four School Board meetings (public meetings) with agenda items regarding the bond election.
- Notice on salmonschools.com of the upcoming school bond vote.

This ad is just one further attempt to discredit the strong positive movement toward bringing a new school facility to the Salmon community. DO plan to vote August 30th. End the mean-spirited and divisive allegations from small factions who have other personal agendas. Salmon School District, with the involvement of many community folks, has proposed a cost-effective, attractive, safe and inviting learning environment for the students of the Salmon Community. Let’s make it happen together!

Personal Acknowledgement

Don Stamp was not selected as the architect for the new K-8 facility for our community. However, I want to personally acknowledge Don's work and influence over the past year and a half. Initially, Don came forward and made it clear that an affordable school solution was possible in the Salmon community. On his own time and at his own expense, Don not only made the community aware of the need for a new school, but brought forward a proposal that reinforced the need for any project in the Salmon community to make Salmon labor and materials a priority.

Thank you, Don, for your tireless work on behalf of a new school for the Salmon community.

Architect Selection for New K-8 School Facility

I want to thank and commend the members of the Proposal Evaluation Committee for their work on the architect selection for Salmon's new K-8 school facility. The committee, a group of ten people from across the Salmon community, wrestled with some difficult decisions. In the end, DesignWest Architect from Meridian was recommended by the committee and approved by the Salmon Board of Trustees.

Some in our community will be concerned that DesignWest is not a local firm. The evaluation committee gave this serious consideration. However, DesignWest has been a presence in our community in preparation for both an initial design concept presentation and an informed response to Salmon's desire to utilize local labor and material suppliers. Further, their proposal strongly demonstrates an understanding of Salmon's needs as well as providing a response that is NOT a cookie-cutter, big box school design. In the end, the evaluation committee gave serious consideration to what Salmon would gain from using a local architect weighed against the value DesignWest adds to our community through the strengths evident in the respective proposals considered.

This is not a time for high emotion to drive opinions and dialogue. I strongly encourage Salmon residents to become informed on why an evaluation committee of your peers chose DesignWest to work in our community. Look closely at who represented you on that committee and you will realize the selection of DesignWest was not a simple one. However, as presented to the School Board, DesignWest bring great experience and value to the Salmon community.

As public meetings are announced in the paper, on the radio, and here on our website, I encourage you to attend and stay informed on what is driving the decisions being made for our school. We are committed to a transparent process and encourage all in the Salmon community to participate in an informed dialogue!