by Nathan Boddy
Residents of the Hamilton School District will see a ballot measure this November 5th, which asks residents if they are for, or against, granting permission to the district to sell the Hamilton Middle School property on S. 5th. The aging facility served as a high school before construction of a newer facility on Hamilton’s eastern edge and was the subject of a failed bond proposal in 2023 when the district voters shot down a measure aimed at building an entirely new school.
“We have to ask the public to give us authority to sell property,” said School District Board Chair, Patrick Hanley. “It is not a bond or a levy, there’s no tax changes of any sort. But we have to ask, and this gives us the opportunity to look at measures going forward to improve our middle school situation.”
The situation Hanley refers to is the state of a building that has stood for over 100 years, and was never intended to hold the number of students it currently holds. Despite its solid structure and the remodeling done over the years, Hanley says that both student and teacher experience could be greatly facilitated by a modern, size appropriate structure.
Fifty years ago, a temporary solution was sought to address space issues by converting the ‘pod’ building, immediately to the south, into classrooms. The pod, which was never intended to be used for classrooms, suffers thin walls, poor ventilation, low light (many classrooms lack windows entirely) and is separated from the main building by a concrete and asphalt playground derisively referred to as, ‘the prison yard.’
The school district initiative would give the district the authority to sell some, or all of the property, but does not dedicate the district to any specific action. The district’s website explains this ballot initiative as, “a first step” in a long term facility plan. This could include selling the pod only, or all the parcels, in order to offset any future cost associated with construction of a new middle school. According to Hanley, those would be decisions taken seriously and down the road, but the ability to move toward any facility improvement by first selling property became the district’s focus following the bond failure in 2023.
“I think what we’re trying to do is be very fiscally responsible for our community,” said Hanley, “using proceeds for something like this to try to offset anything.”
Ultimately, Hanley asserts that passage of the initiative would not mean an immediate, or even guaranteed sale of any school property, but would mean a significant option is granted to the district.
“We’re trying to improve the student experience as well as the teacher experience,” said Hanley. “We need community support to do that. We’re very proud of our schools overall, and we want to make sure that we have great schools going into the future for a long period of time.”
More information on the ballot initiative can be found on the district website at: https://www.hsd3.org/page/hms-november-ballot-initiative