CACHE – Over the past three decades, the average class size at Cache Middle School has grown from about 60 students in the mid-1980s to more than 150 students today.
“You can see how much we’ve grown since that building’s been built,” Cache Superintendent Chad Hance said Monday. “So, space is a priority in that school. There’s a lot of overcrowding.”
District officials have proposed expanding the middle school by adding four new classrooms and two science labs, a commons area, a seminar room, a library and office space. The district also plans to remodel the middle school’s classrooms and bathrooms, create a new parking area and add a pick-up/drop-off lane for the fifth/sixth-grade center and the middle school.
The middle school expansion, which is expected to cost about $19.51 million, isn’t the only project in the works. The district plans to demolish the existing fieldhouse and replace it with a new fieldhouse on the same site, which would cost about $15.85 million.
The district is asking voters to approve a $35.36 million bond issue to finance those two projects, along with a separate $1 million bond issue to update the district’s fleet of 26 buses. The two bond issues would total $36.36 million.
If voters approve both propositions, the district plans to replace two or three buses every few years over the life of the 13-year bond, Hance said.
“Buses are about $85,000 apiece now,” he said. “It’s kind of hard to take that money out of the general fund budget to purchase a bus.”
Taxpayer impact
If voters approve both bond issues, property owners who live within the district’s boundaries would see their annual tax bills rise by about 6.9% from their current level, according to the district’s website. That translates to an increase of $6.96.
For instance, property owners who currently pay $1,000 in property taxes would see their tax bills increase to $1,069.58 per year.
The school district’s mill levy would also change if both bond issues succeed.
The mill levy, which generates local revenue for the district, was set at 30.28 mills in 2019 and dropped slightly, to 29.09 mills, the following year.
Last year’s mill levy was set at 28.49 mills. And if this year’s bond issues pass, the mill levy will rise to approximately 29.96 mills – lower than it was three years ago.
The district’s assessed valuation has gone up by about 35%, which produces more revenue for the school district. The increase makes this a good time to put bond issue proposals on the ballot, Hance said.
“Essentially, we’re going to be able to invest $36.5 million into our school and, essentially, not pay any more property tax than what you paid in 2021,” he said.
Hance said the district will host an open house to discuss the bond issues sometime next week, but the date has not been set yet.
The election is open only to voters who live within the school district. Early voting will be available from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. Feb. 3 and 4 in the Comanche County Election Board office, located inside the Comanche County Courthouse.
For people who prefer to wait until election day, polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Feb. 8.