Dear Editor,
I’m trying to Understand the Shepherd School Bond.
When I don’t understand something, I try to learn as much as I can about it. The Board of Trustee meetings I have attended have not included any discussion to reduce the nature and extent of the Bond. The Committee of local folks and teacher meetings I have attended have focused on how to get the Bond passed quickly in the name of sports.
I sat down with the Superintendent to talk about what the school needs, and the previous failed Bond. The architects told me that they expected $5 million dollar job, but the Board of Trustees listed all the items they wanted and ask for one near the previous failed $16 million Bond. This one is $18 million.
I reviewed the school’s asbestos records back to 1987 and walked through the entire school with the Superintendent. A 30-year career in Occupational Health and Safety as an Certified Industrial Hygienist involved regular oversight on 100s of asbestos abatement jobs. School records show many locations where the remodeling and construction will impact visible asbestos. Thousands of square feet of floor tile and mastic, asbestos in dozens of mudded pipe fittings, Libby vermiculite in some walls, ceiling tiles, acoustical spray on, wall board and texturing, asbestos board in the lab hood and asbestos throughout the old Kindergarten. The plan only includes abatement money for the Kindergarten. Abatement is very expensive and time consuming. The asbestos reviews only identified what was in plain sight. There will be 5-7 additional unfunded abatements on what is in plain sight. More asbestos will be discovered beneath, behind and under what is visible when work starts, always.
Fire protection for the kids we all understand. The national standard for fire protection in schools is the National Fire Protection Association 101 Life Safety Code. Fire protection oversight is the local Fire Marshal. The Life Safety Code is the standard for fire detection, fire alarms, exit signs and emergency lighting. Older buildings are grandfathered. Construction and remodeling require the entire structure to be up graded to the current NFPA 101 Code. When I asked, the architect from Collaborative Designs told me the entire school would be upgraded at the Board Meeting in January. He said that entire school would be fitted with sprinklers. Now, the plan is to only upgrade the new construction. I don’t understand.
The Code requires sprinklers in schools to protect the kids for escape. Sprinklers save kids’ lives in an old building. Emergency lights are critical for kids to see the way to the exits through the smoke in a fire emergency. Most fatalities occur in trying to get out. There are no emergency lights in the school now. I don’t understand the Board of Trustees accepting a plan that makes it less likely the kids in the old school will escape from a fire. I was the fire marshal for 22 years for facilities across 9 states. The Superintendent told me the local Fire Marshal is ok with the plan. The Local Fire Marshal accepting less does not change our responsibility to protect the kids. I don’t understand.
There were a number of serious maintenance issues noted during the walk through with the Superintendent. There is no hot water in a girls’ restroom (years), wall board and tile literally collapsing from leakage and mold growing four feet up the sheet rock in the pipe chases. There are strong acids stored with strong bases in the only chemical hood (a chemical fire in the making). There are no storage cabinets or room for them in the lab. The propane to the valves at each lab table are connected through a decades old gate valve shut off behind a cabinet in the corner (left on 24/7). No hoods at all in the science labs. I don’t understand.
During the February Committee of local folks, the architect referred to the big new room called a community center in January as a “hospitality center.” A hospitality center is a place to host sports tournaments. The high ceiling in the new gym called a lunchroom, the 5000 square foot weight/wrestling room, hospitality center/community center, two story energy inefficient glass front costing millions of dollars. Sports space more important than educational space improvements. Fire protection and long standing maintenance issues are not important. I do not understand.
The $18 million dollar bond will actually cost $27 million with the $9 million interest (DA Davidson). The impact on the local COOP is over $1200 per month for 20 years meaning our utility bills will go up. A total of $4.4 million are shown for the kindergarten, middle and high school up grades. There is over $13 million directed at sports. High utility bills, a costly high maintenance elevator designed in. No money for maintenance, teachers or academic programs. I don’t understand.
I don’t understand a plan that focuses on sports in a school district whose math and reading test scores do not make 50% compared to the rest of Montana schools. I do not understand the money for sports when the future depends on education. I do not understand a plan that burdens the budgets of the folks who will pay for it. The retired folks on fixed incomes will be hardest hit. I do not understand a 20 year $27 million dollar debt in a community where 36% of the kids get meal assistance. I do not understand cutting corners on fire protection. I do not understand new construction to keep Montana kids from going outside. I do not understand tearing down a restaurant building to build a new lunch room. I do not understand a second floor justified as cheaper ignoring the high cost of a high maintenance elevator. I do not understand a glass front yielding high energy costs for Montana winters for natural light.
I will understand and support a plan that focuses on the science labs, kindergarten, lunch room, nurses, computer room, fire code and maintenance for about 1/3 the cost of this one. A plan that addresses the needs, fixes the maintenance problems and upgrades the vocational education facility. I understand paying teachers better.
Vic Feuerstein
Shepherd, MT
I have gone to the meetings and just recently read the “Letter to the Editor” in the Yellowstone County News from Vic. I have yet to express my opinion, but here goes. I have gone to Shepherd since kindergarten. I have sat in the kindergarten building and it wasn’t the best back then either. There was a sliding curtain that seperated my classroom from the other classroom and it has been there since. I have sat in the library when the septic system isn’t working properly and stinks up the entire library building. I sat shoulder to shoulder with my classmates, in the lunchroom for 2 of my 6 years (K-5) in the elementary. Then, we were moved to our classrooms, and I thought we didn’t have space in the lunchroom, try eating on those desks. I remember seeing ceiling tiles leaking or being fixed at least once a month. I was a part of the first 6th grade class to move over to the jr.high. I have changed in the middle school locker room for P.E. and sports. For those of you that don’t know, there are no lockers, there is one toilet, one shower, a couple benches, and one small room to change in, for those that don’t want to be out in the main room. With 7th and 8th grade girls basketball teams, that have had up to 20 girls on each, and the 5/6th basketball team, in that one locker room, things got a little chaotic. My mom is a teacher at the school. I have witnessed her classroom issues firsthand. There aren’t any windows, no a/c, no heat, no moving air whatsoever. She shares a classroom, due to lack of space, and it is a very small classroom. I’m now in the high school. I work in the outdated and very small science lab. I have seen leaking ceiling tiles. I have sat in a completely full classroom for some classes. I have been the kid not sitting in the lunchroom during lunch due to lack of space. I have sat in the lobby, classrooms, and offices during lunch in my 2 years in the high school. This is why there is a need for a bond.
Going back to the Letter to The Editor that just went out about the bond from Vic. At the end he said “I do not understand new construction to keep Montana kids from going outside.” This is not to keep kids from going outside! This is for safety reasons, weather conditions, and lunches. The lunch workers have to cart everything over to the lunch room for middle/high school everyday, no matter the weather. That is what it is for. The weather is unpredictable and when it’s too cold for safety reasons kids stay inside, with little space for them to be, without disturbing teachers. That is what it is for. I imagine that the author of the letter did not grow up in the era of school shootings and the need for secure campuses.
“I do not understand a plan that focuses on sports in a school district” It is not focusing on sports. The reason they are adding more weight/wrestling room is due to the fact that we are taking away the original wrestling space (the lunchroom, try eating breakfast after morning practice in there) to make room for more classrooms.
“The high ceiling in the new gym called a lunchroom.” The main purpose is a lunch room. It will be used as a lunch room during school hours. After school, lunch tables can be moved to use this room as a extra gym. I have been a cheerleader at Shepherd, and when there are other high school sports going on in all the other gyms, we find odd places to practice. This will help not only for lunch but extracurriculars. The lunchroom can also be a space for ⅚ grade basketball to practice so that don’t have to practice at 6:00 am. Again, this isn’t for sports. This is so the the lunch workers don’t have to cart food around, and so kids don’t eat in classrooms, offices, or the lobby. This is not a bond for sports. This is for education of students.
This bond is a good idea for those reasons. We need more space for students and teachers. We need more safety in our school, less exits/entrances, and view of the door from offices. We need to get students out of the hallway and into to classrooms. We need to address these issues in the school. We need to pass this bond. Everyone has a right to their opinion, and I respect that, but I also have a right to my own. This bond needs to go though because of the many issues at hand, and to better our learning and ability to grow. Students are the future. We are the future lawyers, teachers, nurses, surgeons, military, or whatever we chose to be. We could be your future nurse or lawyer, or fighting for your freedom. Does our education not matter? Choosing to say no to the bond, tells every student, like myself, that you don’t care about our education. Our future can one day affect yours, so making sure that we have a good education growing up, is in your best interest. Our future for education is in your hands, make the right decision.
Thank you
Abigail Downing
This makes me so upset as a parent and community member here in shepherd. In all of the meetings I have been to – not once has it been mentioned to hurry up and push this through for sports. In this article He describes how the school is falling apart in many ways! His solution is to not fund the bond (which I’m sure if changes were made, other problems would be found with it – ultimately no bond ever being approved).
I don’t get it. It’s about safety for my kids and connecting all of the buildings is extremely important. In an earlier opinion posted – he said we should just use the library building as a cafeteria. 1. Then we would have no library, but you know – necessities right? 🙄 2. We would still have to cart over all the food – still not solving the problem at all. He complained about the sprinklers not over the old part – yes I get it but that would raise the bond even more….but it’s ok to leave our school how it is now because some are on a fixed income (which I understand, but I am also paying taxes and money is tight for my family too) even though the school needs fixing as stated in this opinion piece. Doing nothing is not a solution. Voting no is not a solution. We need to start thinking about others not just ourselves. This impacts so many children – mine included.