Fremont County Joint School District will ask for nearly $60M bond
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ST. ANTHONY — A school district will ask for a nearly $60 million school bond in an effort to improve school facilities.
With a unanimous vote on Jan. 9, the Fremont County Joint School 215 Board of Trustees agreed to move forward with the proposed facilities additions and improvement bond.
“We started doing surveys in the spring of 2019 to try and find out what we could do to better meet the needs of the students and parents in Fremont County,” said David Marotz, interim co-superintendent. “The biggest thing that I could tell people is that this isn’t something that’s new. It’s been in the works for over three years now.”
The cost for the projects will be $59,980,000. It will include additions to Ashton Elementary, North Fremont High School, and South Fremont High School, Marotz said. For example, South Fremont High School would have a performing arts addition with a 999-seat auditorium. Click here to read the details of the additions.
“We also wanted to look at planning for future growth because we have seen a lot of the new subdivisions and building permits, and we want to make sure that we are getting ahead and we are staying ahead of the game as we start looking at that projected growth,” he said.
Additionally, a large portion of the bond is designated for career technical education (CTE), also known as vocational technical education and skills training.
There will also be work to current facilities in areas of safety, counseling and mental health offices, and restrooms.
According to the district’s website, the bond proposal is estimated to cost taxpayers $137 per $100,000 of market value annually or $11 per month.
The last school bond to pass in the school district was in 2007 for Central Elementary School, which is now Henry’s Fork Elementary. It was for $11.5 million, Marotz said. The money was used to remodel and add on to the school.
“Our final payments on that bond is this summer, so that will be cleared,” he said. “Also, part of why we are looking at these things now is because we will have finished paying off our prior bond.”
The election is coming up on March 14. Meetings will be held throughout the district with specific dates and locations that will be forthcoming. Marotz said as soon as the design team completes its final report, it will be posted on the district website. Click here for more information.
“We are just starting to get the information out, so please watch for more information. We will be doing quite a few community meetings. Please ask questions,” he said.
