2016 Sherwood Schools Bond Information: Ballot Measure 34-254 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Was the public involved in discussions about this bond? ​The District created a Bond Visioning Committee which was open to the public to join. The Bond Visioning Committee held three large community meetings to discuss what stakeholders felt was most important to support excellence in our schools. In addition, the District held a public Bond Community Forum to outline the three project scenarios that were considered for the proposed bond. 2. When was the last bond and what projects were paid for with that bond? ​SSD currently has three bonds: one bond will be retired in 2017, another in 2018, and the last payment on the third outstanding bond will be in 2028. The last bond was passed 10 years ago and covered the construction of The Ridges campus, along with a thorough renovation and increase in capacity at Sherwood High School. The Ridges project came in under budget and those excess funds were used for additional capital projects at buildings throughout the District. 3. Will there be boundary adjustments, principal and staff moves, etc., when the new school opens up?​ When a new school is built, generally there is a boundary adjustment. In this scenario, no adjustment will be necessary at the high school level as students would simply transfer to the new school. At the middle level, all students would attend one middle school, so no adjustment will be needed at that level either. Given the new space being opened up at our schools, it is likely that there will be a change in boundaries at the elementary level. Since the shift in schools will not take place until 2020, there is no way to know what principals or staff will be at each school, and therefore the District cannot predetermine any decisions regarding the school boundaries or staff at this time.

5 - Sherwood School 2016 Bond FAQ (09/27/16)

4. What is the total cost of the bond? ​Total cost is $247.5 million. The following project cost information has been shared with the community at the District’s public meetings and on the web site: Construction/ Land Safety and Security Upgrades Technology and Curriculum District-Wide Deferred Maintenance Bond Issuance Costs Total

$ 199.1 5.5 11.5 27.5 3.9 $ 247.5

5. How much would it cost me?​ The estimated tax rate on bonds previously approved by voters is $3.70 per $1,000 of assessed value. If approved, the tax rate is estimated to be $4.20 per $1,000. The estimated $0.50 rate increase per $1,000 of assessed value would approximate $125 per year on a home assessed at $250,000. This equals approximately $10.42 per month. 6. When will upgrades/maintenance projects take place?​ Most of the projects would start right away, primarily during summer months to minimize classroom disruption. 7. Why are curriculum, technology and deferred maintenance included in the bond proposal?​ The District has focused its attention on keeping general funds directed at classrooms. This means other areas such as curriculum, technology and maintenance have taken a backseat to other needs. Including curriculum, technology and deferred maintenance in the bond would free up general funds that could be used to pay for additional staff in order to lower class sizes, increase program offerings, and increase support for students. 8. How crowded is the high school?​ The current high school has a classroom capacity of 1,550, but the core capacity in the common areas holds far fewer students. This means the cafeteria, auditorium, hallways, gyms, etc., are not actually sized and configured to hold the current student body. As of the first week in September, current enrollment is over 1,720 students at SHS. Some classrooms meant for 20 now hold 40 at a time. Many students find areas in the hall or on stairways to eat lunch because there is not enough table space in the commons, which only can accommodate 450 students. The book depositories (storage) are having to be used for classroom space, causing the Library/Media Center to be closed down due to the lack of space when it needs to be used for book storage. Also, many teachers need to share classroom space because they do not 5 - Sherwood School 2016 Bond FAQ (09/27/16)

have a designated area for prep periods, grading, etc., and have to move from room to room. In addition, portable classrooms have been added to the high school for the 2016-17 school year and more are expected. 9. Why can’t the District remodel/add on to the existing high school?​ The current high school is built out to its maximum capacity. There is not sufficient room on the site to increase the size of existing core spaces and add the necessary classroom spaces to meet the higher capacity scheduled to arrive at Sherwood High School in the near future. In order to remodel the current building, all the core areas (gyms, cafeteria, etc.) would need to be expanded, which would mean vital areas of the school would be off limits during construction. This would be prohibitively expensive and would add little capacity relative to the level of expenditure. In addition, remodeling would require shutting down classrooms during construction, which would result in more portable classrooms being put on the athletic fields. Since construction would need to take place during the school year, students would be subjected to the noise and disruptions related to a large construction project. Parking and access to the high school would continue to be inadequate for the high school community. In essence, expanding the current high school is not ideal and would result in a short-term fix for the overcrowding they are experiencing. If we opted to remodel the existing high school rather than building a new, larger school now, when the existing site does exceed capacity, the District would again be faced with needing more space for high school students, and it would inevitably have to build a second high school. 10. Does Measure 34-254 mean Sherwood would have a second high school?​ No, this option has just one high school serving the entire district, as the new school will have larger capacity as a long-term solution to overcrowding. (The current high school will be transitioned to a middle school.) 11. Where would the new high school be built?​ The District has identified a site for the new high school and is in negotiations with landowners. 12. When will the new high school be completed? ​Construction of the new high school is targeted for completion in June 2020. 13. What is included with the new high school?​ The new high school will include what you would expect in a​ ​high school campus, and will have a classroom capacity of 2,000 5 - Sherwood School 2016 Bond FAQ (09/27/16)

students, with common areas designed to support 2,400 students. The design will also include an additional wing to house 400 additional students, to be constructed at a later time. Designs will include an auditorium/performing arts center, gyms, stadium, sports fields, etc., and prominent spaces to support STE(A)M and Career Technical Education (CTE). 14. What will happen to the existing high school stadium, fields, etc.?​ The new high school will include a stadium and sports fields to accommodate high school sports. The existing fields of SHS will be available for use by District teams, youth sports leagues, and the community, thereby adding recreation assets for the community. 15. Will the new high school include a pool?​ The new high school will not include a pool. The cost of a pool goes well beyond the initial investment of building and includes long-term, year-round maintenance which is substantial and would have to come out of general funds. Currently, the District's focus is to keep general funds in the classroom as much as possible. 16. How would having one large middle school work in Sherwood?​ The existing high school is structured in a way that would allow for grade level “teams” that function in a school within a small learning community model. This model is used by other large middle schools across the state. While students would take their core classes within the team to which they are assigned, they would eat lunch and participate in elective and PE classes with other students from their grade levels. This model would provide more support for students as all of the students on each team would have the same teachers for their core classes, and it would keep students from getting lost in a large middle school. In addition, due to economies of scale and the facilities that exist in the current high school, the District anticipates it would be able to offer more electives than in our current middle schools. 17. Can the current capacity of the high school hold all of the middle schoolers?​ Yes. Current middle school enrollment is approximately 1,200. The existing high school capacity is 1,550. The combined space of the middle schools is just over 200,000 s.f., and the existing high school is just over 240,000 s.f. 18. How does building a new high school help the elementary schools that are near capacity?​ By building one new high school and allowing the middle schools to move to the existing SHS building, two “new” buildings are opened up to be used as elementary schools. Capacity at the elementary level goes up by nearly 900 students, with no need for prolonged remodeling or additions that would interfere with the students’ learning environment. 5 - Sherwood School 2016 Bond FAQ (09/27/16)

19. With two elementary schools side-by-side at the existing Ridges Campus, how will the schools be structured (i.e. K-2 and 3-5, two schools, etc.)?​ Having two elementary schools will open up some different options for making sure the students get the best education and opportunities possible. The majority of Sherwood’s growth is expected to be on the west side of Highway 99W, so having the added elementary space in that area is crucial. No decisions have been made at this time for the layout of The Ridges campus. 20. When will students move into the new schools?​ The construction of the new high school must be completed before any of the student populations can be transitioned to their new schools. With the target completion for the new high school being June 2020, the District anticipates that students will start in their new schools in Fall 2020.

5 - Sherwood School 2016 Bond FAQ (09/27/16)