Republic Board of Ed. approves putting bond issue on April ballot


These artist concept images show what the proposed Republic High School multi-use facility would look like when complete. (Images submitted)
$33 million in projects would include 57,000 square feet of new classrooms, plus turfed area
The Republic R-III Board of Education approved a ballot issue during their meeting on Thursday, Jan. 16, that will ask the district’s residents to extend a current no-tax levy bond issue to help fund the construction of a multi-use facility at Republic High School and upgrades to other school buildings in the district. The bond issue will appear on the ballot during the April 8 election.
Big build, big money
In a press release, Josey McPhail, the district’s director of Engagement and Community Relations, said the multi-use facility would be located behind the high school and include “approximately 57,000 square feet of additional classroom space and a 65,000 square foot turfed area to be used by students both during and outside of the school day.”
The total cost of all the projects, McPhail said, is $33 million. The bond would raise $22 million, and the remaining $11 million would be covered by “earned interest from the bonds that are currently funding the Republic Intermediate School project, unspent bond money from the Republic Intermediate School project, and District monies currently in the Capital Funds account.”
Extra curricular space
The facility, McPhail said, would also be used to house the school’s band, choir, JROTC, and a weight room, which she said would also create additional classroom space in the high school.
“(Theses) are all larger classroom spaces currently inside RHS,” she said. “Therefore, moving them to a new facility would provide the opportunity to create approximately eight or nine new traditional-sized classroom spaces inside of RHS.”
Additionally, McPhail said, the facility would provide additional practice space to meet the needs of the rising number of students who are taking part in extracurricular activities at the high school.
“Due to the growth of students participating in the many activities and athletic programs at RHS, practice space is becoming more and more limited,” she said. “This often creates less-than-ideal practice environments. The turfed area would provide a solution to this problem.”
Other benefits of the multi-use facility, McPhail said, would be dedicated spaces for extracurricular activities such as cheer, dance, golf, and wrestling, a climate-controlled environment where the student athletic teams and extracurricular groups could meet for practice despite weather conditions and a community room that could hold up to 150 people.
Other upgrades
In addition to a multi-use facility, McPhail said, the funds from the bond would also go to improve other buildings in the school district. These would include:
- Upgrades to the Republic Middle School, including air conditioning in the auxiliary gymnasium.
- Window safety film being added to all school entrance vestibules.
- Air conditioning in the Price Elementary gymnasium.
- Replacing older HVAC units elsewhere in the district.
- Turf for the RHS baseball and softball fields.
Survey says
McPhail said the District looked to the results of a community survey held in September of 2024 when deciding which projects would be funded through the tax levy. She said 1,264 people completed the survey, with 81.2 percent of respondents saying they would support the construction of a multi-use facility at the high school.
More info
For more information, go online to the Republic Schools website at www.republicschools.org, click on the “Menu” tab, and select “News.” Then click on the link to the bond issue page.
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