Facilities Update
Pre-Referendum Exploration Begins
At the Board of Education meeting on April 7, the Board endorsed HSSD to move forward in a pre-referendum exploration process, which requires community engagement.
Where We Are
HSSD is exploring possibilities to go to referendum in 2026, including the renewal of the operational referendum, and phase two of our long-range capital maintenance plan. We are currently assessing our facilities needs, analyzing enrollment data, evaluating our operational budget, closely watching the state budget process, and developing a comprehensive plan for community engagement.
No decisions have been made at this time about potential referendum questions or when they might be presented to the community in 2026. We have two major election opportunities - the Spring General Election in April or the Fall General Election in November.
Where We’re Going
Engagement will continue. The details of more staff engagement efforts are forthcoming. Stay tuned to this website for details because your input as a community member is essential during the pre-referendum exploration process. Upcoming key planning milestones:
- April-May 2025: Complete key facility and operational needs assessments and stakeholder engagement plan development
- June-August 2025: Identify and explore potential phase two facility options
- Fall 2025: Community engagement and prioritization of preliminary facilities options
Where We’ve Been
As Mark Smith transitioned into his first year as Superintendent, he engaged in staff listening sessions, 1:1 meetings with Board members, and two-way conversations with an array of stakeholder groups. Most recently, in December 2024, 132 stakeholders (staff, students, families, community members, business leaders, etc.) gathered for the three-day Stronger Together event. During this event, they discussed the skills and knowledge they’d like a 2037 graduate, our current Kindergarteners, to attain during their time at HSSD.
Feedback gathered at each of these engagement sessions are helping to inform a Strategic Framework, which will launch in the 2025-26 school year.
