Kuna school district prepares projects list

The Kuna school district has put together a list of capital improvement projects, including parking lots at the middle school and Teed Elementary, fire and safety improvements at Ross and Indian Creek and restrooms and carpeting at Hubbard, totaling about $1.8 million.
The money for these projects will come out of a roughly $3.4 million remaining balance in a $25.5 million bond passed by voters in 2007.
A list of “must do” projects and a much longer list of “might do” projects were presented to Kuna school board members during a special session Wednesday, Feb. 1.
The $25.5 million school bond, passed by voters in May 2007, has already done some major heavy lifting. That bond was used to build Initial Point High School, Silver Trail Elementary School, the 800-seat performing arts auditorium at Kuna High School, an expansion of the Kuna High gym and a new parking lot between Teed Elementary and the school district administrative building.
Because of favorable costs for such construction projects over the past few years, district officials say they’ve been able to accomplish the bond’s major projects with a remaining balance.
Even with the list of $1.8 million remaining bond projects and other “must do” projects, the district could have as much as nearly $1.6 million still remaining.
Another, much longer, list of “might do” projects was also presented.
Superintendent Jay Hummel said that he and business manager Bryan Fletcher prioritized the list of “must-do” items based on requests from principals and other administrators.
Board member Royleen Anderson questioned items not on any list, such as instruments for the middle school music program, and school board chairman Jim Ford asked about lawnmowers and buses.
Some of those items could be funded by state technology money or plant facilities levy money rather than bond money, Hummel said.
You can read the list of "must do" projects in this week's Editor's Notebook in the Kuna Melba News.