To All Martin’s Mill ISD Stakeholders

Posted Date: 06/14/2022

Last night at the regular June Board meeting our “Spirit of ’49 Committee” which was formed by a group of community and staff volunteers, presented our Board of Trustees with their findings and recommendations after nearly two consecutive months of meetings. This committee has diligently reviewed and discussed the many facilities needs of our district and have determined the following needs (in no particular order):
- Campus master plan and secure egress and regress on a disjointed campus configuration that addresses safety concerns for our students
- A need to move from “temporary” buildings into permanent structures (ie: Special Education, Fine Arts)
- The need for expansion and renovation of the Ag/FFA facility
- The need for expansion, renovation, and relocation of the Robotics program
- The complete absence of athletic dressing facilities for over half of our athletic
participants
- A new food service location and cafetorium to address overcrowding
- A lack of district-wide storage and restroom facilities.
The committee recommended to the Board to consider calling a bond for the November election. At this time, Martin’s Mill ISD has a debt capacity of $12 million. Any action to pass a bond for that amount will result in a tax rate increase in our district.
At this time, the board has not entered into any design or development of “what to build”. They have only considered the many needs and financial impacts of any project. Over the next several weeks, the board and I will be working to select an architect as well as consider whether a bond is the direction forward to address these needs. Should the board choose to call a bond election, design and discussion of new construction will begin. Simply put, that is the process. There is a vision to address all of those needs. And should a bond be called, the community will be invited to multiple meetings led by the “Spirit of ’49 Committee” to discuss the details of such a project.
The purpose of this letter is make an attempt to keep the community informed about the process. No one is more aware of the responsibility of a board and superintendent to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars and district funds. If I believed we could not address ALL of the needs described above, I would not pursue this course. Unfortunately, it will cost money to address those needs. As has been the case since I arrived last April, my door is wide open and any community members, parents, or stakeholders who have questions are welcome to simply “come ask” (no appointment necessary). I would be more than happy to share my vision for what MMISD could possibly look like for the next two generations of Mustangs.
Sincerely,
Scott Tyner, Superintendent