Auburn Public Schools will start the 2026-27 school year with a new food service company, a new high-needs special education program and just shy of 1,000 students, while district leaders prepare for a November bond election that would add classrooms and reshape district facilities.
Superintendent David Patton said the district is projecting just shy of 1000 students this fall, with about 450 at Calvert Elementary School and 502 at the middle school and high school. Enrollment has grown 15% over the past six years, he said.
“That’s not normal in rural communities,” Patton said, adding that the district takes in more students through option enrollment than it loses. He cautioned that the numbers typically shift through the first week of school.
Pending bond election
The school board is expected to take two steps toward a bond issue at its Aug. 13 meeting: approving a criteria developer contract with Clark & Enersen and approving the resolution and ballot language for a November bond election. Ballot language must be filed with the county by Sept. 1.
The criteria developer will lead a series of meetings with teachers and staff to determine classroom needs and layouts before a bid goes out to a design-build company, assuming the bond passes.
“These meetings go down to the detail of, you know, what kind of hand dryer do you want in the bathrooms,” Patton said.
The district is targeting a levy of about 10 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, which would cost the owner of a $150,000 home about $150 a year. Agricultural land is assessed at a lower percentage and is subject to different levies, Patton said.
The figure came out of a community survey the district commissioned. Patton said the survey showed a high percentage of residents already knew a bond was being considered, and that respondents were clear about what they could afford. Nearby districts have discussed bonds in the 20- to 30-cent range, he said.
“Instead of going out there and then having to scale back, the board decided, you know, if we know this is what our community feels like, then let’s just do that,” Patton said.
The board has studied a bond since before Patton arrived six years ago. In that time, he said, costs for materials and labor have climbed roughly 30%, leaving some districts that passed bonds earlier unable to cover their projects.
Under the current plan, the bond would:
- Add classrooms at Calvert, where Patton said class sizes are larger than the board and community want to see, along with heating, air conditioning, window and materials upgrades in the older part of the building. An energy scan showed significant air loss through existing windows, with an estimated 7.5-year return on investment for replacements.
- Add a secure vestibule and double-entry doors at the middle school.
Convert the current gymnasium into a multipurpose space with stadium-style theater seating on the north side, an upper walkway for sound and lighting equipment, open floor space for tables and chairs, and a green room. Patton said the space could host fine arts productions, assemblies, graduation and events such as dinner theater. - Build a new gymnasium on the grassy area north of the high school with expanded locker rooms for home and visiting teams, an athletic training room for all sports and more space between spectators and the out-of-bounds lines.
If voters approve the bond, Patton estimated construction would take about two to 2 1/2 years, with crews likely breaking ground next summer. He said he could not give a firm timeline until criteria development is complete.
