SPS principals explain how $220M 'Proposition S' bond issue will improve schools, safety

At Pipkin Middle School, the only student bathrooms are on the top floor and in the basement.

At Pershing, which serves elementary and middle school students, lunch periods start at 11 a.m. and do not finish until 1:45 p.m. The gym is not big enough to have an all-school assembly.

Flooding and plumbing issues are a chronic problem in the lowest level of Reed Academy.

Springfield principals said those challenges, and many others, will be resolved with a $220 million bond issue on the April 4 ballot. It is the largest bond issue in the history of the district.

If approved, the district will build a new Reed and Pipkin, while renovating and reconfiguring Pershing.

Other proposed projects include a series of security measures — building upon safety upgrades in the 2019 bond — and the construction of gyms that will double as storm shelters at six elementary schools: Cowden, Holland, Mann, Pittman, Watkins and Wilder.

"What we are most excited about is providing a nice new facility that our community and students can be proud of," said Sara Strohm, principal of Reed. "All kids deserve the best and that includes our kids."

The Community Task Force on Facilities identified the projects in the bond, along with its size and scope. Co-chaired by David Hall and Bridget Dierks, it included students, parents, school employees, business owners and community leaders.

Only one member of that task force, retired teacher Carl Herd, has publicly opposed the bond, saying the timing is not right.

The bond is a "no tax increase" request. If approved, the bond will not alter the district's debt-service levy or property tax bills for residents but it will add to the district's overall debt.

Bonds are typically paid off over a 20-year period.

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The task force was instrumental in the $168 million bond issue in 2019. Final projects from that bond, a new Jarrett Middle School and a new York Elementary, are set to open after spring break.

Other projects from that bond included new Boyd, Delaware and Williams elementary schools; a renovated and expanded Sunshine Elementary; a new Adah Fulbright Early Childhood Center; and a renovation and addition at Hillcrest High School.

The bond also paid for a pair of elementary storm shelters, more preschool classrooms, and secure entrances at more than two dozen school buildings.

With voters deciding the fate of the new bond issue in less than six weeks, the News-Leader recently met with the principals for Pipkin, Pershing and Reed as well as the principal for Wilder, where a new storm shelter gymnasium is planned, and other top school officials.

The principals talked about challenges present in the existing building plus changes they want to see occur as part of the proposed bond projects.

Pershing renovations

Pershing Elementary was built in 1957 at Ventura Avenue and Seminole Street. Three years later, a junior high — now a middle school — was added on the campus.

"We have somewhere between 750 to 800 kids passing through our hallways, as they were built," said Tommy Wells, Pershing's principal. "That is a challenge, as is the layout."

For example, band and related arts programs are all located on one side of the building and middle school students have to trek from one end to the other to participate.

"They have to dismiss a little earlier or a little later to bypass the congestion that it creates in the hallways because we have sixth-graders and seventh-graders all merging at the same spot at the same time," he said.

Wells said the band and orchestra programs have grown tremendously but the spaces are "very, very small."

"We can only fit a certain amount of kids in there at one time, which limits access for kids," he said.

Wells said in addition to small class sizes and common areas, the area designated for student pick-up and drop-off is not big enough.

"Our car line, how it was designed years ago fit the time," he said. "However, I would be looking forward to a new design so that we can get more cars (on campus) and it will help traffic flow over here at Pershing during dismissal time."

The district has not yet decided if Pershing will remain a K-8 building or be reconfigured for just grades 6-8.

This year, in conjunction with the proposed bond, the district will study student demographics, including growth projections, and the attendance boundaries of school buildings.

Travis Shaw, executive director of operations, said the results of those studies will "drive the discussion around Pershing and the scope of that project."

If Pershing is switched to a middle school, additions will need to be built to two nearby elementary schools to help absorb the K-5 students currently zoned to attend Pershing.

A new Pipkin

Constructed in 1925, Pipkin was the last of three schools — Pipkin, Jarrett and Reed — to open. Collectively, they are called the "triplets" because of similar floor plans.

Pipkin, which has experienced a significant enrollment loss, is home to the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program, a bridge between elementary programs at Boyd, Field and Rountree and the rigorous program at Central High School.

Principal Duane Cox said Pipkin has been working to promote the IB program, which used to draw students from all over the district in larger numbers.

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"Over the past three to four years, those transfers have dropped off. Part of that has been COVID and transportation issues for our families because of changing start times," he said. "But a lot of it boils down to when they get into our building and they see the physical space and they see those barriers firsthand."

He said classrooms are between 400 to 600 square feet, which is smaller than in newer buildings, and a converted classroom serves as a science lab.

"One of the biggest issues is the lack of bathrooms," Cox said. "We only have one staff bathroom and that is just a one-person bathroom."

The biggest unanswered question facing the Pipkin project is whether the new school will be built on the existing campus, which is far smaller than other middle schools, or built on a larger piece of property in the same attendance area. The answer hinges on the district's ability to find and buy property.

"We have been, for several months, working through details to finalize the location for where Pipkin will land," Shaw said.

"Our plan is to hopefully have an announcement ... to make that public before the election on April because we know that that is essential for the project."

New Reed Academy

Reed was constructed in 1923 at the corner of Lyon Avenue and Atlantic Street and renamed Reed Academy after it offered an accelerated academic track for students who want to take advanced courses in eighth grade, an option that started in 2010.

The option will remain as the district creates the Reed Academy for Fine and Performing Arts, which debuts this fall, in the middle school.

"We are really excited about being able to provide high quality performing arts spaces so they can explore what they love," said Strohm.

Reed has a nationally recognized choir program and will add, or expand, theater, world dance and media to current offerings.

"The facilities we have don't really support that," she said. "With the bond project, we'll be able to put in facilities that better allow students to immerse themselves in these programs while still maintaining a high level of academic rigor and we're excited about that potential."

She said space for existing programs and students has been a challenge for extracurricular activities and getting all the students through the cafeteria in a timely manner.

"It's a 100-year-old building so it wasn't built for middle school students of 2023 and class sizes of 2023," she said.

Storm shelters to be added

Adam Bax is principal of Wilder Elementary, one of the schools slated to get a storm shelter and gym as part of the bond.

He said currently the school has an all-purpose-room. Having a dedicated gym will help with scheduling physical education classes, lunch, and events.

"Right now we have an APR, which is a very small space that we use for many different things," Bax said. "We have our cafeteria there so that poses a challenge with scheduling. Two hours out of the day I have to stop P.E. classes because it takes two hours just to get through lunch."

Bax said the new gym will help with creating a master schedule, giving teachers space to meet, and hosting events with families. It will also include bathrooms.

"If we add that gym space, it also adds a music room and our P.E. so that would open up another classroom," Bax said.

He said parent meetings end up standing-room-only and they can get hot.

As a storm shelter, the space will be available to students and staff during the school day and the neighborhood the rest of the time.

"If there is a tornado, we are able to utilize that space," Bax said. "Right now, I would say our safest option, which is what we practice, is using our hallways during a tornado. But every one of our hallways at the end has an exterior door with glass. All of our classrooms obviously have windows."

Stephen Hall, chief communications officer, said Wilder is surrounded by homes so it will be easier for families to get to the storm shelter if needed on nights and weekends.

"It is important to remember that these storm shelters are also resources for those neighborhoods," Hall said. "If there is a tornado warning in the middle of the night, those who live in that immediate range around the school are also able to seek shelter."

Want to go?

Springfield Public Schools has organized tours of three buildings that will altered by the proposed bond issue in April. The guided tours and project presentations are open to the public.

On the following dates, tours will start at 5:30 p.m. with a presentation at 6 p.m.:

• Thursday, March 2: Reed Academy, 2000 N. Lyon Ave.

• Monday, March 6: Pipkin Middle School, 1215 N. Boonville Ave.

• Tuesday, March 7: Pershing School, 2120 S. Ventura Ave.

Bond project details, costs

A look at the estimated budget for the projects included in the April 4 bond issue:

• $59.48 million − Construct new Reed

• $53.08 million − Construct new Pipkin

• $50.42 million − Renovate and reconstruct Pershing

• $5.105 million − Cowden storm shelter gym

• $5.105 million − Build Holland storm shelter gym

• $5.105 million − Build Pittman storm shelter gym

• $5.105 million − Build Watkins storm shelter gym

• $4.95 million − Build Mann storm shelter gym

• $4.95 million − Build Wilder storm shelter gym

• $6.9 million − Safety and security upgrades including protective glass film for ground-floor windows at all schools, security cameras and door and roof sensors as needed

• 19.7 million − Reserve for cost variances due to inflation of construction, labor or materials. If any money is left over, it will be used on future priority projects identified by Community Task Force on Facilities.

Claudette Riley covers education for the News-Leader. Email tips and story ideas to criley@news-leader.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: SPS principals explain how $220M bond will improve schools, safety