
Randolph
Public Schools
November 2024 Bond
What is the bond amount that will be on the ballot?
Registered voters residing in the district will vote on an amount not to exceed $9,750,000.
What is included in the project?
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Elementary School Improvements: Enhance security at the existing entry. Update heating, cooling, lighting, electrical systems, and fire safety features. Replace single-pane windows and provide handicap accessible restrooms for boys and girls on both floors. Add a serving kitchen to eliminate the daily bus trip to the Jr/Sr High for lunch.
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Career and Technical Education Center: Replace the aging ag building with a larger, more functional Career and Technical Education Center with computer labs, woodworking, metals, welding, and art classrooms.
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Urgent Repairs: Address critical issues at the Jr/Sr High building, including roof and structural repairs and add air conditioning to the main gym.
What was the process to determine this was the right project solution?
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The school district has been working to address the agriculture building since 2020 but paused due to Covid.
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A facility audit revealed additional needs including the structural/roof repairs at the Jr/Senior High and multiple issues at the Elementary School.
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A community advisory group helped prioritize needs, determine a project scope to benefit all students, and proposed a budget for the bond amount that balances the needs of the project while respecting taxpayers’ interests.
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The public was invited to an informational meeting on August 1, which highlighted the recommendations from the Community Steering Committee.
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The board used this information to determine project scope and the bond amount.
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Do our enrollment history and projections support this project?
This project addresses facility needs for our existing student population and provides needed maintenance to preserve our facilities for years to come. Enrollment numbers are stable.
5-year enrollment history
24-25 262
23-24 254
22-23 256
21-22 253
20-21 248
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10-year enrollment average = 250
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Next four years projected average = 269
(using birth to 5 census data)
How will my taxes be impacted by the bond?
The projected tax impact is 10.5 cents per $100 of valuation.
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20-year bond
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Current bond interest rates of 4.30%
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The district’s current valuation*
*The valuation takes into account LB2 ag property values, which converts ag land to 50% of assessed valuation for the purposes of a bond election per statute.
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Click here to use the interactive tax calculator to see your tax implications.
How will the new Career Education building be used and how many students does it impact?
Using student numbers from the past five years, we can project that more than 60 students a year will take a class or multiple classes in the new CTE building. This is more than 60 percent of our Junior/Senior High student body.
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Number of Students who attended a class or multiple classes
in the ag building over the past five years
2024-25 = 63
2023-24 = 60
2022-23 = 76
2021-22 = 64
2020-21 = 58
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For more information about what classes and services will be offered in the CTE building, visit What is CTE.
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What safety and security improvements are included in the bond?
A secure vestibule will be added to the current elementary entrance, creating a protected buffer between the outside and the main building. Guests will be buzzed into the school after entering through the exterior doors. A transaction window will allow visitors to conduct business with the secretary or be buzzed into the building if they are approved. Individuals currently have access to the entire building once they are buzzed into the front door.
Additionally, a storm shelter is part of the new Career and Technical Education building.
Is this the right time for a bond with the current economy?
It is difficult to find the perfect time for a facility project. Construction costs have continued to increase since the project was first discussed several years ago and waiting to address facility needs will only get more expensive.
Our bond amount includes projected inflation and contingency to ensure the project can be built for the amount on the ballot. Bond rates are continually changing and are projected to decrease in the near term. If bond rates decrease in the future, we can refinance and shorten the term of our bond.
Are the restroom improvements necessary?
The lack of a girls' restroom on the second floor and having only one boys' restroom on the first floor creates supervision and accessibility challenges and takes away class time. Additionally, the existing restrooms do not meet ADA (handicap) codes. The project will address these issues by adding a boys' and girls' restroom on each floor that not only meets current codes but also updates plumbing.
Why not just build a new elementary school instead of renovating?
A new elementary school is estimated at more than $15 million dollars. Our professional facility assessment indicated that the elementary structure is sound. Updates to the electrical, heating and cooling, windows, food service and security will give the district a very good facility for many years into the future.
Why can’t we put up a cheaper steel building for the Career and Technical Education Program?
The Career and Technical Education facility was designed to be built as an economical, pre-engineered metal building, which is similar to an ag building. However, educational facilities must follow specific requirements that aren’t needed for a standard farm building.
Structural differences:
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The steel members in our building are slightly thicker to meet higher wind load requirements.
Functional differences:
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18 rooms plus circulation corridors with drywall, paint, baseboards, suspended ceilings and floor finishes.
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Insulation to meet building codes
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Seven classrooms equipped with adequate lighting and ample electrical service to handle the power demands of multiple students using different equipment concurrently
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Fire sprinklers and fire separations
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Energy recovery and ventilation systems
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HVAC equipment for a comfortable learning environment
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Multiple restrooms to accommodate student and staff needs
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A storm shelter
This facility will be used for Fine Arts, Industrial Technology, Ag, Computers and student-led businesses. This investment can have a major impact on our students and community.
Why are we building a new serving kitchen instead of using existing space?
The original kitchen was removed years ago, and that space was repurposed and is occupied.
The elementary building has no free space that can be converted into a serving kitchen. Sharing the daycare kitchen isn’t possible as it lacks the necessary facilities to serve meals to elementary students.
By adding a serving kitchen to the elementary school, we can eliminate the need to bus students to the high school for lunch. This will reduce disruption to the learning day, reduce busing and provide a safer, more convenient mealtime experience for students.

