WORTHINGTON — In just two weeks, residents of ISD 518 will vote whether to authorize a $15.3 million bond to fund some significant facility changes to Worthington High School.
Officially approved to be listed on a primary election ballot back in April, the Aug. 13 election will ask voters to decide whether a plan for structural improvements and updates to the high school will move forward.
Since 2010, ISD 518 has upgraded and added school buildings to accommodate higher student populations. After a referendum in 2016 to build a new high school building failed, the Board of Education knew at some point that the current building’s needs would have to be addressed.
That time has arrived, according to ISD 518 Superintendent John Landgaard.
“Space is a continuing issue, something’s going to have to be addressed,” Landgaard said Monday in an interview with The Globe. “This is the most economical way the board has found to address that need at the high school.”
If the $15.3 million bond passes on Aug. 13, the plan is for the district to invest a total of $33.8 million into maintenance improvements and overall facility updates. The district has $18.5 million in reserves to put toward the project.
The referendum, if approved, would result in district residents repaying the $15.3 million bond over the next 20 years through their property taxes. For a home valued at $170,00, for instance, the tax impact is estimated to be $45 per year for each of the next 20 years.
Landgaard said key updates the $15.3 million bond would cover focus primarily on adding space and improving maintenance projects that were deferred over time.
Regarding space, proposed changes at the high school include the addition of eight classrooms, updating the kitchen facilities, moving the administrative offices into a more secure location of the building and adding a hallway in the upper north wing to connect classrooms from the east and west sides of the building.
Maintenance improvements include updating the HVAC system in the building’s north wing, replacing sections of the roof, and replacing various hardware on doors, lockers, etc.
These projects, along with many more, were determined following conversations and surveys conducted with district staff and community members. Landgaard said if the bond passes, the next step would be to continue conversations and get more detailed on how much money is spent where.
He said those talks would occur this fall into early next year so that, ideally, construction bids could be requested no later than spring of 2025.
“Because of this project and the way it is, it’s a two-summer project,” said Landgaard. “The earliest we’d be able to occupy the space would be fall of 2027.”
If the bond referendum fails, the ISD 518 Board of Education will have a big decision to make: go back to voters with a different plan, use the $18.5 million they have in reserves to complete a “scaled down” approach as Landgaard calls it, or decide to use a lease tax levy, which is like a lease-to-own agreement with residents in the district.
For residents of ISD 518, there are three ways to vote: go to the polls on Aug. 13, vote early or by an absentee ballot in person, or mail in their ballot if they live in a mail ballot precinct. Early voting will continue through Aug. 12.
To learn more about the bond referendum, how and where to vote or see a personalized tax impact, visit
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Hope Moural is the community editor for the Globe as of May 2024. A born and raised Nebraskan, Hope has a dual bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Communications from Concordia University, Nebraska, and has previously worked as a general assignment reporter.