HAMILTON — Hamilton School District voters approved the potential sale of the middle school in November.
District officials are now asking voters in a survey what they would prefer to see happen with the property and the potential bond that would come with upgrading facilities.
Having a say in your child's education in Hamilton doesn't just mean pitching in on a class project or helping them choose which elective to take. It means making your voice heard on the middle school property that's up for sale.
"Everybody knows we've already failed running a bond in 2023, and there's a lot of opinions and reasons as to why that failed, and it didn't fail by a small margin," Hamilton School Board communications committee member Eli Johnson said.
After the initial bond failure, the Hamilton School District altered its course, first seeking voter approval last fall to sell the middle school property.
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The school is a place Johnson knows the conditions of all too well since he sent his kids to school there.
"Woefully inadequate for quality education. There are a lot of issues with safety and security. 50-60 yards from door to door, it isn't ideal. The internal environment isn't ideal either. It's just a big open space with walls and it echoes," he detailed.
Hamilton Schools now has an online survey where people can leave input on the future they'd like to see for the property if it sells.
"This property isn't intended to be used for education anymore as soon as we can get out of it," Johnson said. "There will be contingencies on whatever sells so that our kids have a place to go to school until we have an alternative location," he continued.
The school board is considering renovating and adding on to what they call the Westview campus which is currently leased by UM Bitterroot.
"We have about 15 acres there, which is what is deemed adequate for what we need for the student population," explained Johnson.
The school would either have a shared facility for fourth through eighth grade or a separate one based on grade levels. "Fourth and fifth graders to be at Westview. If we share a gym space, if we share kitchen space, if we share some admin space, there's some cost savings there," Johnson shared.
"Then have the middle school being the sixth, seventh, and eighth graders in the same campus," Johnson continued. "The other option that we put forth was a completely separated option on the same property."
Johnson told MTN that why the fourth and fifth grade students are being included in these proposed changes is due to growth in the area and concerns about future needs.
"It's not because Daly campus is inadequate or was poorly planned. We're trying to consolidate the kids into three campuses," Johnson told MTN. "We're trying to accommodate for future growth and development in the community, and fourth and fifth graders seem to align," Johnson detailed.
According to Johnson, the new bond would cost around $15 million to 21 million less than the one from 2023. "The range was somewhere $48 to $52 million bond," he said.
Before deciding on the bond, voters are asked to fill out the survey, however, it is not a prerequisite.
"The better feedback we can get, the better decisions we can make," Johnson stated.
Click here to take the survey.
Watch previous coverage: Hamilton School District asking voters to approve sale of middle school:
