The project includes both renovations and additions to the existing K-12 building. These improvements will include:

• A new, secure main entrance located adjacent to parking for better access and safety

• An addition to include two classrooms and a school/community library

  • The classroom and library addition will allow new classrooms to be built in the existing wings

  • The current library will be renovated to become multiple classrooms

• A new gym with locker rooms that will serve as storm shelter for the school population

• Paved parking lot to address the flooding and maintenance issues

A professional facilities audit as well as numerous meetings and surveys with the community, staff, and administration have identified urgent facility needs that must be addressed. These needs will require a large capital investment and a bond issue is the most efficient financial and educational solution to address these needs.

A bond amount of $13,995,000 will require a bond levy of 33 cents per $100 of valuation. This means:

$100,000 property = $330 additional taxes per year, or $27.50 per month

Irrigated Acre = $9.20 additional tax per year, or $1,471.40 per quarter per year

These calculations take into account current bond rates with existing conservative assumptions (a 25-year-bond and no valuation growth over time). If the bond issue passes, the Board plans to reduce the Special Building Fund and Bond Fund levies (due to existing bonds being paid off) by a total of approximately 4 cents, creating a NET LEVY IMPACT for taxpayers. Click here to view tax tables and calculate your individual tax impact.

The ballot amount will be $13,995,000. The District has been accumulating reserves in its depreciation fund in anticipation of addressing facility needs and will be able to use funds on hand to help pay down the cost of the project.

Total enrollment has trended up over the past 10 years. 

Our current enrollment is greater in the elementary grades, so we project total enrollment to increase as those grades progress.

K - 6th grades average 24.7 students. 

7th - 12th grades average 19.3 students.

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Click here for charts showing enrollment trends.

The existing library is frequently used for classes and special education. The new classroom and library design will improve educational opportunities for students and provide confidential spaces for special interventions. The additional space created with the new gym will be used for a variety of classes, school programs, extracurricular activities, indoor recess, practices, and events.

The gym is designed to be flexible to be used in various configurations. For a standard basketball and volleyball games as well as wrestling meets, the bleachers will seat 1,200. For special events, like graduation, an additional 650 seats can be added to the floor. Youth tournaments could have two courts and seating of up to 370. For more detail, visit the Project page and click through the gallery of plans.

Over the past 10 years, the enrollment count of resident students and the option student enrollment count have both risen, resulting in an overall increase in enrollment of 19%. The overall percentage of students option enrolled has remained stable over the past decade between 35 and 40 percent. Net funding for option students has totaled $5,057,414 over the past five years.

To see charts of our option enrollment trends as well as the annual financial impact of those students, click here to visit the Resources page.

Yes. The project will include a capacity for 400 students. We currently have a PK-12 enrollment of 319.

The gymnasium will provide necessary educational space for the school. It can be used for indoor recess, classes, practices and events. For example, several events are set up in the gym throughout the year—like Veterans Day, the Endowment play, graduation, blood drive and prom. When those events are happening, the gym can’t be used for anything else. If weather is bad and the elementary classes have indoor recess, there isn’t another location to take the PE classes. PE times overlap with junior high sports, so the gym is unavailable.

In a K-12 school, lots of classes are vying for room for physical activity, a critical component of our education curriculum. Having one gym means that some kids lose out on that opportunity. Our current gymnasium doubles as our performing arts space, making the overcrowding situation even worse.

A building committee has been meeting since April 2023 to determine the needs of the school district. A brand new school was never an option due to cost. The total of all identified needs was $34.6 million, which was still not an option due to cost. After prioritizing the needs in mid-November, the high-cost iteration was $24.6 million and low-cost, $16.3 million. After a well-attended community meeting, the building committee considered the feedback received and requested some changes to the design to have a bond for less than $14 million, yet still meet our most urgent facility needs.

The district has partnered with CWP Architects and BD Construction to help us obtain accurate budget numbers for this project. BD used current and historical cost data for similar education addition and renovation projects in our region to help the school set the bond amount. After the bond passes, all divisions of work will be put out for bid. The final bond amount cannot exceed $13,995,000.

The Village of Palmer has deeded the parcel of the swimming pool to Palmer Public Schools. The Village of Palmer is in the process of relocating the pool. The current pool property will be part of the paved parking lot.

The district will pursue every available funding opportunity to reduce the bond amount and has already begun discussing potential grants, donations and sponsorships to help offset costs.. Most grant applications require a shovel-ready project, meaning we must demonstrate funding support from the community along with detailed architectural plans to show exactly how we will use the funding.

Typically, schools begin to apply for grants during the architecture design phase of a project, which in our case will be over the summer following the successful passage of the bond. The district has time to further pursue promising grants after the bond passes. These funding sources can be used to pay off the bond earlier. Because bonds are issued in series (and not all at once), grant dollars that are received later in the process can reduce the amount of the bond accordingly.

Some of the grants under discussion include ones from the Nebraska Department of Education, the Nebraska Library Commission, the Department of Energy, as well as local and statewide foundations.

Aside from the moral argument that everyone benefits from an educated population, good schools make communities more vibrant, dynamic and attractive. The quality of a community’s schools is one of the main criteria for businesses and individuals who are seeking to relocate. Even more importantly, good schools are essential to young families considering the Palmer area as a home, and for opt-in students. If we hope to maintain a thriving community, we must continue to invest in our facilities.

This project also contains a community component: the public library. The bond would allow our school to expand the library and move it so we could incorporate an exterior entrance. 

The space layout and renderings provide a general idea of how this scope will look in terms of the exterior and location of major spaces (classrooms, library, commons, gymnasium, storm shelter/locker rooms, corridors) to help with budgetary purposes. After the bond passes, the architect will fine-tune details during four- to six-months of intensive design work to develop a complete set of plans.

For example, the parking lot will be adjusted with the help of civil engineer to create an efficient layout, handicap parking spots, turning radius, bus access and site drainage. The design team will have in-depth discussions with the district on how the site can best function for traffic flow and student safety. This collaborative approach to the design work will happen within all areas of the building.

In May 10, 1994, the community passed a bond for a building addition. The results were:

For:  65.2%

Against:  34.8%

Our bond amount includes projected inflation and contingency to ensure the project can be built for the amount on the ballot. While construction volatility has stabilized, the cost to build schools will only continue to rise. The longer we wait to address the district’s needs, the higher the cost will be. 

Bond rates are continually changing. If bond rates decrease in the future, we have the ability to refinance and shorten the term of our bond.

As soon as the bond passes, the architect begins about six months of work to develop detailed drawings. Construction typically starts six to nine months following  bond passage.

Once design details are finalized, the construction company will create a phasing plan. BD Construction specializes in school remodels and additions, and develops phasing to limit disruption to students. Often, additions are built first so that students can be moved into those spaces. As students move out of existing classrooms and into new spaces, those existing rooms can be remodeled. BD also creates the schedule to complete as much work as possible over summer break.

A group of community members is working to provide many opportunities for registered voters to become informed about the bond issue and vote on March 12. Information will be organized and shared with the public via a website, social media posts, flyers, informational mailing, small community group meetings, and town hall presentations. The goal is to make sure every voter has access to accurate information before receiving their ballot in the mail.

Any new homes or businesses that are built within district boundaries will increase the overall valuation of the district. New valuation coming into the district will reduce the tax levy impact of the bond on current residents. 

There will be TIF valuation coming into the district’s valuation in the future that will help reduce the bond levy for taxpayers.

Our district is required by state and federal law to provide an appropriate education for special education students. The project will ensure that we have the space to properly educate a growing population with diverse needs.