Sierra PTA respectfully asks the Jefferson County Board of Education to make good on promises to complete the construction project started in 2008 at Sierra Elementary School, located at 7751 Oak Street. In 2004, voters in Jefferson County approved a bond measure to generate $323.8 million for school construction projects across the county. The bond supported 440 capital projects and benefited many schools, including Arvada West High School and Oberon Middle School. In 2008, Dr. Michelle McAteer notified Sierra PTA that the school had significant structural problems because of its location on bentonite, and some of these problems included a leaky roof and the regular occurence of falling ceiling pieces. The district was able to identify approximately $6 million in remaining funds at the end of the bond period, and given the urgent nature of Sierra's structural problems, they agreed to spend the money and complete half of the school with the promise that the remaining half would be at the top of the list in the next bond measure. The next bond did not pass until 2012. Unfortunately, the bond did not include funds to complete the construction of Sierra's remaining school. The students at Sierra continue to be housed in a building with significant structural problems (in addition to nearly 160 5th and 6th graders housed in "temporary" buildings that have outlived their useful life), and we are asking the District to keep its promise and finish the remaining half of the school. According to the District's website, the only item on the list for Sierra in this current bond is the replacement of our security system. The District also claims on its website that it is committed to maintaining facilities that are "warm, safe and dry", and one can assume this definition includes structural integrity. We are requesting that the District keep its promise and complete our school construction project so the students of Sierra can be housed in one building that is safe and secure. We are asking the Jefferson County Board of Education to identify funds to finish what was started and build a new school for Sierra Elementary School by 2015. Signed, The Sierra PTA

Sponsor

Links