One of the biggest problems for taxpayers was what they considered to be "non-essential" improvements to the school's pool and athletic facilities. School officials are now starting from scratch and keeping their focus only on academics.

Since the failed referendum vote on September 9th,  the school board has met with architects, engineers and financial advisors to begin developing a new plan.  They say they will hone in on the minimum requirements for getting the building up to code, which is required in order to receive any reimbursement from the state.

Right now they are not going into specifics, but have said many of the classrooms, bathrooms, lockers and the roof have not been touched since the school was built in the early 1970's and are in need of significant repairs.

They will focus on making the building energy-efficient and replacing the water system. Currently, the water is not safe to drink and the school must provide students with bottled water.

Superintendent Dr. Rebecca Erb said the ideal price tag of the new plan would be "somewhere in the lower $20 million" range, but she said that  is a rough estimate. She is asking the community to become part of a new steering committee to help guide the plan.

At this time, the board says it is unclear whether it will make it to a referendum ballot by next spring, but they hope to have a plan in place sometime before the end of the first semester.

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