Superintendent seeking GO Bond for school projects

Decatur Superintendent Phyllis Edwards will ask the school board to approve a General Obligation Bond during its monthly meeting, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Central Office/Beacon Municipal Center, 125 Electric Avenue.

This is preliminary to petitioning the city commission for a bond referendum on March 2. It’s anticipated the commission will vote on the referendum March 16 and, if approved, it would go on the ballot in November. Edwards indicated she’d suggest an $80 million bond to the board, but said it may wind up being less.

If ultimately approved by voters, the money will fund the second phases of the Decatur High and Renfroe Middle Schools master plan along with constructing a new K-5 school. Edwards believes a new K-5 building—K-3 one side and a 4/5 school on the other—would cost about $25 million. She said she’d like to see the new school open by 2017-18.