Superintendent’s Bond/Voted Leeway Update – July 2016
June of 2013, the citizens of Sevier County passed both a bond election and voted leeway. Voter
turnout was considered high through a mail-in ballot, and support for both the bond and leeway
was considerable. Since that time, school board members, district administrators, teachers, and
district staff have been working hard to implement what was proposed to the voters during the
presentation and hearing processes of the election. As promised in the bond and leeway
presentations, Sevier School District is addressing significant needs that will provide students
with a great educational opportunity while providing a fair and equitable value to taxpayers.
1. Richfield High School Replacement Project: The timeline for the new Richfield High
School is on target and the final phase of construction is nearing completion. It is
anticipated that the project will be fully complete this October. The project is being
funded through the bond. For updates and photos of the project see www.seviersd.org
2. North and South Sevier Roof Replacements and Band Rooms: Both of these projects
will be fully complete within the coming weeks. The bond is also funding these projects.
Other proposed projects included in the 10-year building plan include: major renovations
and replacements to South Sevier Middle School and a major renovation to the North
Sevier Middle School gymnasium.
3. School Safety and Resource Officers: Thanks to an agreement between Sevier County
and Sevier School District, four resource officers are now in place in each of the major
attendance areas of Sevier School District. The officers began fulltime on January 1, 2014,
and the program has been a tremendous success. Emergency response times, 911 panic
buttons, and student-law enforcement relationships are a few of the many benefits of the
program. The Sevier School District portion of the costs related to school resource officers
and security updates have come through the voted leeway.
4. Technology Improvements: (Waiting for Chet 6-23-16)
• Leeway funding has helped improve infrastructure by upgrading switches, battery
backups, and access points throughout the district. This funding has also made possible
the purchase of an additional wireless controller. These upgrades and additional
equipment have helped provide a more stable and reliable network in all schools.
• The school district is continuing to update and maintain the security camera systems in all
schools.
• Sevier School District currently has over 2000 Chromebooks and 1200 iPads in service for
student use. An additional 600 Chromebooks will be deployed next month. All teacher
desktop computers have been updated beginning a five-year replacement cycle. Other
devices that will be upgraded/replaced/added this year include: projectors, interactive
boards, document cameras, and other equipment to provide up-to-date and adequate
computer access and abilities for lab and activity group work in chemistry, physics,
robotics and earth science classes.
• A technology trainer/director has been hired to assist teachers and district staff in
fulfilling the vision of enhanced programs targeted toward student success and support.
With 3 full-time technicians, support and weekly visits to each of the 13 schools in the
district is a reality. Work order response time/resolution have been greatly reduced.