Huntington Elementary is considered one of the highest priorities throughout the district.
Emery School District Press Release
The Emery School District last bonded for new construction and remodel in the 90’s. The passage of that bond resulted in capital improvements on every school campus as well as the construction of the Spartan Center at Emery High School. It wasn’t until 2012 that the district again began seriously looking into capital needs and contracted with VCBO Architecture to conduct a thorough review of existing facilities. No new construction came as a result of that study despite the identification of priority needs. Those needs have generally remained the same, and in many cases, have become not only priorities, but necessities.
Coming into the 2019-2020 school year, the Emery Board of Education acknowledged that district school buildings and supporting facilities are deteriorating to the point of potentially impacting student safety and education. As a result, the board commissioned the creation of an Emery District Facilities Committee to look into the district’s most critical needs, establish a building/remodel priority list and establish a timeline for future bonding. The board also appointed business administrator Jared Black to organize and chair the committee. Board president Tracey Johnson and superintendent Larry W. Davis were also appointed as committee members.
The first meeting of the committee took place on Nov. 18 and included a review of the 2012 VCBO Facility Analysis, discussion of a possible bonding timeline, and priority needs relevant to each school and other district facilities. It was noted in that meeting that a thorough review of district needs and facilities should involve discussion of possible consolidation.
To facilitate the committee’s background knowledge regarding building needs, site visits were held on Dec. 3 when members were shown first hand degrading infrastructure at district schools and other facilities.
As a follow up to the initial meeting and site visits, the committee met again on Jan. 21 to discuss the state of district property, set priorities for improvements and discuss a timeline for possible bonding. Also in that meeting, subcommittees were created to address specific components of the committee’s mission. The committee agreed that the highest priority regarding building upgrade and new construction is Emery High School with improvements at Ferron Elementary, Huntington Elementary and the district office rounding out the top four. Other schools and district facilities not included on the initial priority list are included on a “second tier” list, which would be addressed in the future.
Regarding the subcommittees, the following were created: Communication under the leadership of Superintendent Davis; Design, Architecture and Construction under the leadership of Jared Black with Steven Gordon over secondary schools and Jackie Allred and Kerry Lake over elementary schools. The committee discussed public relations and set plans for publishing reports on the committee’s work as well as the condition of the district’s facilities. Also, site visits to recently-constructed high schools and elementary schools around the state for member of the committee were held in February and included stops in the Sevier, Millard and Alpine School Districts.
In a round-table discussion to open the January meeting, the following topics surfaced:
- The importance of monitoring current state tax reform and the impact it might have on local bonding
- The importance of conducting thorough and in-depth research and analysis by the committee
- The concern about decline or growth in student numbers
- The importance of looking at the district as a whole and not just at the highest priorities
- The option of doing the priority needs in phases rather than simultaneously
- Conducting research into how schools are currently using their available space
- Considering what can be done through the process to prolong the life of some of the district’s newer schools
- Proceeding cautiously about trying to do too much too quickly at the risk of confusing the public
- Respecting stakeholders in considering consolidation options
- Consider the costs/savings of consolidation
- Consideration of consolidation and whether to deal with it initially or later in the process
- The necessity of upgrading facilities as soon as possible to minimize inflating costs
- Research the comparative costs of new construction vs. remodeling
- Consider the importance of school safety
While it is the committee’s mission to review all facility needs in the district, prioritize those needs and create a timeline for new construction and remodeling, it will be the Emery School Board that has final authority over what would be advanced to the voters in a bond election. Such decisions will come after a public comment period. Although early in the process, it is the consensus of the committee that the matter go before voters in the November 2020 general election.