HELENA — Helena Public Schools held its first public meeting to pitch a new major facilities plan.
From renovating or rebuilding the two high schools to finding alternative uses for other district buildings, leaders say the changes are needed to address aging facilities and shortfalls.
Members of the public got to see a part of Helena High School that few may ever see during a school tour led by students.
The heating system below is supposed to keep students at HHS warm throughout the school day.
However, according to HPS officials, with an efficiency of only 45 to 55 percent, students are warming up by wearing blankets in the classroom.
"Especially when we get into January and February in Montana, it's very cold, and a lot of kids leave jackets in there just so they can put them on in class," said HHS social studies teacher Bob Poelking.
HPS has over $100 million in deferred maintenance, and HHS makes up roughly one-third of that.
Community members saw the burst pipes, water damage, and bathroom stalls with no doors.
Poelking said, "One day, the wire for your clock doesn't work, or the water fountain has no pressure. Even fixes don't fix it. Lights don't work, or lights catch on fire."
Over at Capital High School, power outages are common. In early February, they delayed a basketball game by an hour.
These issues show the need for repairs and renovations in the school district, but voters shot down levies in May that would have funded them.
The district's last successful bond was in 2017, which went toward building three elementary schools.
The last time the high schools got a bond was in 1996 when they added classrooms at Capital.
"If you look at how much this deferred maintenance costs versus the cost of a new building here and notable upgrades at Capital, this is a one-time expenditure as opposed to constantly playing catch up," said Poelking.
The superintendent of HPS, Rex Weltz, says he plans to recommend a bond to the board of trustees that would go on ballots in September of 2025.
They would ask for between $160 to $220 million to build a new HHS, make major renovations, and add to CHS.
They would also ask for $40 to $ 50 million to build a new Kessler Elementary School and $15 to $30 million for other deferred maintenance projects.
Superintendent Weltz will make these recommendations and more during the March 11th board of trustees meeting, but it's important to note that they are not expected to vote on them during that meeting.
