Voters will have the opportunity starting next week to cast their vote concerning the Fremont Public Schools bond issue.
FPS Superintendent Mark Shepard said ballots will be mailed out in the next five days.
“Fred Mytty (the Dodge County Clerk) has shared with us that they will go out on the 24th,” Shepard said. “They should start hitting mailboxes maybe Thursday, Friday, Saturday of next week.”
Voters will have the opportunity to decide the fate of the $123 million bond issue. The project includes plans for several of the elementary schools. Milliken Park and Linden will be renovated and updated while Washington and Howard will be razed and rebuilt on their current sites. Clarmar will be razed and rebuilt on a new site in eastern Fremont.
“It will be paid back in the next 25 years and is a no-levy increase, which the district has been successful with in the past” Shepard said. “We’re basically taking new debt and wrapping it around the old debt.”
Shepard said the improvements are needed for the elementary schools.
“The 1999 and 2010 bond issues primarily focused on secondary schools and providing space at the elementary levels,” he said. “This bond issue provides the opportunity for our elementary buildings to play a little catch-up.”
In 1999, Fremont passed a bond issue that built the middle school, created additional space with the science wing and middle gym at the high school, and built Bell Field Elementary.
In 2010, the community passed a bond issue that moved fifth-graders out of the elementary schools into the newly developed Johnson Crossing Academic Center for grades 5-6. Classroom additions and more commons space was added at the high school while work was also done on Clarmar and Linden.
FPS Board of Education President Sandi Proskovec said the bond issue is a good investment in the future of Fremont.
“It provides the opportunity for our community to take a huge step forward and in particular for our pre-kindergarten through fourth-grade buildings,” she said. “When evaluated by the professionals, many of our buildings built in the 1950s, 60s and early 70s fall shart based on how well they accommodate student learning with current educational systems and utilization of technology.”
A public forum on the bond issue is scheduled for 6:30 to 8 Thursday night at the Nell McPherson Theatre of FHS.
“Individuals who would like to attend are more than welcome,” Shepard said. “We want people in attendance. We want to educate people on the bond issue — on what it is and what it isn’t.”
Caryl Johannsen, Task Force For Kids Campaign Committee co-chair, agreed.
“This will be a time for the public to receive information and ask questions related to the projects, financing, timelines, etc.,” she said.
Ballots need to be returned to the Dodge County Clerk’s Office by 5 p.m. Sept. 14.
“We haven’t had a mail-in ballot in Fremont before so it will be interesting to see how much participation we get,” Shepard said. “But there is a lot of information out there. People can go to fremonttigers.org. The first slide you’ll see there is information about the bond issue.”
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