1. Investing in Our Future: Scottsbluff Public Schools Board Approves Property Purchase for Early Childhood Expansion
.png)
The Scottsbluff Public Schools Board of Education voted to approve a resolution to enter into a property purchase and sale agreement to acquire a new location for district Early Childhood Programs. The property, located at 2617 College Park, is the former SWBC facility and will be used to expand Bear Cub Preschool as well as house all other district Early Childhood programs and a number of additional district departments and services.
“The Scottsbluff Public Schools Board of Education is proud to make this investment in our early childhood program and our community”, said Board of Education President Scott Reisig. “Over the last three years, we started our elementary modernization project, bringing needed improvements to our elementary schools. With our previous updates to Bluffs Middle School and Scottsbluff High School, our early childhood program was the most in need of upgraded facilities. This purchase allows us to provide a top-quality facility for early childhood education.”
Scottsbluff Public Schools currently serves nearly 200 children in its Early Childhood Programs including Bear Cub Preschool and the Sixpence Birth to Three Program. Upon completion of renovation of the facility, SBPS will be able to serve 350+ children in these programs with Bear Cub Preschool expanding from eight to twelve classrooms as well as adding space for before and after school care. The purchase of the SWBC facility will provide the District with the opportunity to better serve Scottsbluff families with the expansion of our Early Childhood Programming. The facility will also provide additional space to meet many other current needs throughout the District and will accommodate future growth. The addition of the SWBC facility to the District will create one cohesive program and location for families of children ages birth to five.
“The pending acquisition of the SWBC Building demonstrates a commitment to our core value of ‘A Bright Start and a Promising Future For Every Child’ while investing in expanding our early childhood programming. This investment will allow us to better meet the needs of our students and families while addressing inadequate facility space for multiple departments”, said Dr. Andrew Dick, SBPS Superintendent. “This purchase, which was accomplished during a time of a historic reduction of the tax levy by the Board of Education, aligns with our recently approved five-year strategic plan and positions the District to consider multiple approaches to meeting the needs of our PK-5 students for the next 40-50 years.”
The purchase and renovation of the facility is expected to cost the District approximately $4.3M and will be funded using the current levy into the District Building Fund. There will be no bond and the taxpayers of Scottsbluff will not see an increase in taxes as a result of this purchase.
“From a financial perspective, the board has worked with the administration to maintain a strong financial position,” said Reisig. “ This year, we reduced the total amount of tax we are collecting from the public, while continuing to invest in all of our facilities. The bonds that were issued for the Bluffs Middle School renovation, originally scheduled to have been paid off in 2029, are projected to be paid off in the 2024-2025 school year, resulting in an estimated seven-cent decrease in the bond fund tax levy once those bonds are paid.”
With the Board of Education entering into a purchase agreement for the property, the District is expected to close on the facility purchase by the end of the calendar year with occupancy for the Early Childhood Programs to take place in the Fall of 2025.
For more information see Frequently Asked Questions here: