Seward Public School District residents will soon receive ballots to vote on a proposed $25 million bond issue.
The project includes three main areas – safety, security and educational spaces, athletics and maintenance and operations.
Dr. Josh Fields, district superintendent, said this has been on the district’s strategic plan. The district waited until the middle school’s bond was paid off, so this proposal would replace that.
The district’s tax rate would stay the same at 8 cents per $100 valuation for bond payments, Fields said.
The ballots will be mailed Jan. 19 and must be returned by 5 p.m. Feb. 10. The district continues to host open houses and tours, with the next event to be Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 7 p.m. District representatives have also held sessions in Garland and Staplehurst and done presentations for community organizations.
Additional information is available through the Seward Public Schools website, as well, under the 2026 SPS Bond tab.
Bids have not been solicited for the project because it has not yet been voted on.
Most of the work is planned at the high school because it’s the oldest building in the district, Fields said.
He said a project like this is important because the school district is a long-term investment.
“Businesses may come and go, but the school district will be around for the next 100 years,” Fields said. “The future is our students.”
He said the district is “not going crazy with the pieces.”
If the bond passes, the next step will be soliciting bids for the sections of the project. Work would start as early as this summer. All projects will be completed by the summer of 2028.
If the bond does not pass, Fields said, “we’ll go back to the drawing board.
“The needs will not go away.”
He said he is thankful to the community for its support of education.
“I feel fortunate to live in a community that values education,” he said.
Safety and security
Estimated cost $10.9 million
In order to improve security at the elementary and high schools, the front entrances would be reconfigured. Both would be set up more like the middle school office, Fields said.
The elementary office would move across the hall to the former kindergarten room.
The high school office and concession stand would trade places, Fields said. Offices for the principal and assistant principal would also move to the front of the building.
The entrance for activities at SHS would not change.
Two new classrooms are planned at the elementary, which will be storm shelters.
A new science wing at the high school would replace the current wing, which was built in 1963.
“It’s cheaper to build new and repurpose the old,” Fields said.
The new wing would also be a storm shelter for students and staff.
The Career and Technical Education space would be expanded and updated. The welding shop would be separated from the wood shop. A small animal barn is planned to expand class offerings and labs in the ag department.
Fields said the north lobby at the high school still has some asbestos, which would be abated. Space on the north end of the high school would be designed for life skills classrooms for high needs special education students.
The little theater would become a true music room and be ADA compliant, Fields said. Currently, the stage in that space is being shared with the cafeteria.
The art room will also be moved, allowing an expansion to the weight room and an improved space for art classes.
Athletics
Estimated cost $8.5 million
While Seward Public Schools does have a good relationship with Concordia University, scheduling does get complicated, Fields said. Seward High plays its football games at Bulldog Stadium on Friday nights.
The proposed bond would include updates to the football field and track at the high school.
“The last time we hosted a track meet was 2008,” Fields said. “We know it needs to be redone.”
That project would start from scratch, he said. The district has taken Waverly’s football complex as its model. New bleachers and a new press box would be built on the west side of the current field. The field would go from natural grass to turf, which wears better with all the uses – varsity, junior varsity, junior high and youth football, marching band practice and varsity and junior varsity boys’ and girls’ soccer.
Lights at the field would also be upgraded, Fields said.
Parking would be added on the north side of the field, which would provide easier accessibility for those with mobility issues, Fields said. The restrooms and concession stand would be moved to under the new west bleachers.
Part of the bond would also go to help finish the turf project at the Plum Creek Park Legion Field and update the press box there.
“It will be a hybrid field,” Fields said, which means both baseball and softball could be played on it. “It will help us be more competitive in Class B. We’re looking for great facilities for our students.”
The bond would also add a practice track at the middle school, which would eliminate busing middle school students to the high school for track practice.
Maintenance and operations
Estimated cost $2.75 million
In addition to abating the asbestos in the high school’s north lobby, the project would add air conditioning at the elementary school gym and at the high school’s auxiliary gym. The heat pumps in the fourth grade wing at the elementary are still original and need to be replaced, Fields said.
“We’ve done a great job keeping them updated,” he said.
The remaining approximately $3 million will go for additional construction costs, fees and contingencies.
