Minden Board Reviews Plan for New Elementary Building

Minden, August 20, 2025

News Summary

The Minden school board reviewed a proposal to build a new elementary wing attached to the middle school, prompted by an aging elementary facility and limited expansion options. BD Construction provided an early high-end cost estimate of $26.6 million, and a financial advisor outlined five financing approaches, including full bond funding, bond wraps, lease purchases, and interlocal agreements. The board approved routine business, policy updates, and steps to refine designs with teacher input. A public outreach plan was presented to keep communications neutral while volunteers could form an advocacy committee if the district pursues a bond vote.

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Updated: August 20, 2025 @ 6:43 am.

Board Meeting Focuses on Plan for New Elementary Building; Early Cost Estimate $26.6M, Five Financing Paths Outlined

The Minden Public Schools Board of Education devoted the bulk of its August 11 meeting to presentations on a proposed new elementary building that would attach to C.L. Jones Middle School. An early, high-end construction estimate of $26.6 million was shared, and the board received a five-option financing outline as it considers whether to pursue a bond election later this year.

What happened at the meeting

The meeting opened with routine business: the board approved the consent agenda quickly, which included minutes from July 14 and July 29, financial reports, and expenditures and claims for payment. Presentations then took center stage from the district architect, a construction firm, and a financial advisor.

Design and site direction

The district architect described the current elementary building as aging and not functioning well as an educational facility. The building was said to have limited classroom space and no practical room for expansion without removing the playground and some parking. The district is exploring a plan to build a new elementary wing attached to C.L. Jones Middle School.

The proposed design is a revision of a 2023 plan. Changes include a reduced courtyard, altered art, music and gym areas, and a smaller overall footprint than the earlier proposal. The revised layout aims to ease congestion at the elementary entrance and drop-off on 5th Street and provides space for future classroom expansion. The architect noted that further adjustments will follow as teachers provide input on classroom amenities.

Construction cost estimate and timing

BD Construction presented an early, high-end cost figure of $26.6 million, stressing that the number is preliminary and that a more detailed plan will yield a more accurate estimate. The firm suggested a timeline for campaign preparations: a committee kickoff on August 18 if the district wants to seek a bond vote in November, with a formal announcement of intent to follow the kickoff the next month.

Public information and campaign approach

Board members heard a proposed public information campaign to explain the project to residents. The outreach plan would include a project website, mailed brochures, townhall meetings, and information shared through news media and existing school communication channels. All official school communications would remain neutral; volunteers could advocate for the bond outside of official channels. BD Construction would coordinate a committee and subcommittees of volunteers and lead the information effort, though the board indicated a preference that the committee focus mainly on sharing facts and avoid heavy persuasion or frequent messaging.

Financing options summarized

A financial representative from DA Davidson presented five financing options for the potential project:

• Option 1: A bond vote for the full project amount. This option offers the lowest true interest cost by spreading repayment over many years and could include future refinancing. The plan could lower the special building fund levy until current bonds are paid off, resulting in a net zero levy tax increase to the public as presented.
• Option 2: A full-project bond using a wrap solution, where interest payments on the new bonds would be made only until old bonds are retired. This approach keeps the bond levy neutral but would generate more total interest than Option 1.
• Option 3: A combination of a lease purchase and a bond. A seven-year lease purchase at current valuation could provide about $12 million, allowing the district to bond roughly half the project cost. This path could yield tax credits tied to special building fund use and was estimated to have a 4.92¢ impact on the levy in the presentation.
• Option 4: Similar to Option 3 but with a wrap arrangement to defer some principal and avoid a large short-term levy spike. It is less efficient overall than Option 3.
• Option 5: A longer-term lease purchase via an interlocal agreement, funded through special building funds and passing tax credits to taxpayers. This option would not use bond proceeds and was presented as the most efficient and affordable choice under certain conditions, offering the lowest true interest if structured as described.

Board actions and other business

After the presentations, the board approved amendments to several policies (numbers 1200, 3131, 3132, 3410, 4003, 4009, 5003, 5004, 5101, 5103, 5201, 5301, 5401, 5414, and 6400) and adopted policies numbered 5507, 6113, and 6931. The board also approved a resolution allowing the district to increase its base growth percentage up to an additional 6% or the maximum permitted by law, authorized payment issuance for 2024-25 year-end bills, approved staff trainings for 2025-26, and accepted the 2024-25 audit agreement with an auditing firm. The next regular board meeting is scheduled for Monday, September 8 at 7:00 pm in the MHS Media Center.

FAQ

Key Features at a Glance

Feature	Details
Early cost estimate	$26.6 million (high-end, preliminary)
Site plan	New elementary attached to C.L. Jones Middle School; reduced courtyard; adjusted art/music/gym spaces
Design goals	Reduce drop-off congestion on 5th Street; allow future classroom expansion; modernize educational spaces
Financing options	Five options: full bond, wrapped bond, lease+bond, wrapped lease+bond, long-term lease purchase (interlocal)
Public outreach	Website, brochures, townhalls, media, school communications (officially neutral)
Next board meeting	Monday, September 8 at 7:00 pm, MHS Media Center

Deeper Dive: News & Info About This Topic

Additional Resources

• The Minden Courier: Minden Board Reviews Plan for New Elementary Building
• Wikipedia: School Bond
• KTBS: Former Claiborne Educator Accused of Inappropriate Behavior
• Google Search: Claiborne educator accused student
• Kearney Hub: Local Education News
• Google Scholar: school construction financing
• Nevada Appeal: Minden Elementary Kicks Off Program
• Encyclopedia Britannica: Elementary education
• KSLA: Former Homer Educator Arrested; Alleged Molestation
• Google News: educator arrested molestation child