flagstaff voters to decide on new school construction and district-wide facility upgrades

A new middle school could become reality in Flagstaff, Arizona if voters in November approve a $75 million bond issue.

That bond would be used to pay for what will be the replacement of the Mount Elden Middle School at 3223 N. 4th Street, a facility built in 1958.

Money from the bond, according to officials with the Flagstaff Unified School District, will also pay for replacing outdated technology in the district’s fifteen other schools, as well as facility maintenance and repairs.

The bond, as proposed by the Flagstaff Unified School District Governing Board, which approved calling for the November election, would have a life of 6 years.

According to an executive summary prepared for that board, $22.3 million would be spent on such facility projects as installing new roofs and floors, updating security, and making the buildings more American with Disabilities Act compliant.

The Mount Elden Middle School replacement project has a price tag of $29.6 million; while a smaller $10.6 million will go for facility technology replacements and upgrades.

School officials in a district, where the average facility is nearly 50 years old, say ongoing building upgrades are a way of life, particularly in the wake of enrollment growth that has jumped from 9,700 students three years ago, to more than 11,500 today.

By Garry Boulard