Dear ORR Stakeholder ~ This week a letter and fact sheet were sent out to all registered voters in the ORR School District explaining recent board decisions and the upcoming Capital Outlay Opt Out Vote. You can find information from the letter below. The letter and the fact sheet will be posted on our school website as well.
Dear Parents, Guardians, and Community Members,
I am writing to provide an update on our efforts towards the goal of constructing a new centralized PreK-12 school for our district.
Over the past 18 months, the school board has diligently pursued available land options suitable for our new school. Initially, the board considered two parcels offered to the district, conducting consultations with architects and education specialists throughout the process. After careful evaluation, the board selected a 20-acre parcel located on the corner of HWY 81 and 223rdStreet as the most suitable location for our new school facility.
Despite facing challenges such as three unsuccessful bond votes, we remain committed to finding the best possible location. Recently, we reached out and sent 90 letters to area landowners who own parcels of at least 20 acres on an oil road within school district boundaries. We received responses from two landowners willing to sell their properties for the purpose of building our new school. However, after thorough consideration, the school board determined that none of the offered properties met the necessary criteria for consideration.
Additionally, important information has emerged regarding the structural condition of both the Rutland and Ramona buildings. A comprehensive structural analysis indicated that these buildings are nearing the end of their serviceable lives. Furthermore, due to the age and condition of these 100+ year-old buildings, securing adequate property insurance has proven to be a challenge for the district.
In light of these developments, the school board has made the following decisions to move our district forward:
1. If the September 17th, 2024, capital outlay opt out vote fails, the board will demo the old Ramona two-story building, add on to the new Ramona addition and designate one district school as the PreK-5 elementary school and one district school as the MS/HS (6-12) school – one will be located in Ramona and the other in Rutland. This decision will be made with input from architects concerning the most financially efficient solution.
2. If the September 17th, 2024, capital outlay opt out vote is successful, the board will either seek a $10-$12 million bond to secure additional funds that will allow us to build on the corner of US HWY 81 and 223rd St., or the board will not seek additional funds and will simply use $14.5 million in capital outlay certificates plus cash reserves to build one Prek-12 school in Ramona. (A survey would be sent out to stakeholders for their input on which of these two directions to take.)
We will continue to keep you informed as we progress towards our goal of providing a new, centralized school for our students. To help with this, the board has scheduled three town hall meetings prior to the September 17th vote:
· Wednesday, August 28th @ 5:00 PM in the Ramona gym.
· Wednesday, August 28th @ 6:30 PM in the Oldham gym.
· Tuesday, September 10th @ 5:00 PM in the Rutland gym.
Your support and input is important to us, and we appreciate your continued involvement in this process. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at 605-482-8244. Thank you for your ongoing support of our schools and our students.
Sincerely,
Superintendent Hoeke