Ephrata School District forms committee to consider future bond options

EPHRATA — The Ephrata School District has announced the formation of a committee tasked with establishing a recommendation on the timing of the next Ephrata School District Bond, according to a Feb. 1 ESD announcement. 

“This group, which started meeting in December, meets monthly to review where school district construction projects are today and to help reimagine the educational facility needs of tomorrow,” the announcement said. 

Ephrata schools had to defease their last bond due to increased construction costs preventing the district from utilizing the funds for projects such as remodeling Grant Elementary School. Defeasement is the process of essentially canceling out a bond package by investing the money and using the funds to pay back bond certificates that have been sold. 

The announcement dubbed the committee the “2024 Facility Reimagining Team” and information from ESD indicates the group is made up of a variety of people including district leadership, ESD staff, residents and others. The group is tasked with developing an understanding of where the district is now and where it needs its facilities to be to serve its students in the future. Timing of putting a bond measure on the ballot — either in February 2026 or February 2027 — is also part of the committee’s tasks. 

Several steps will be involved in establishing the criteria and projects associated with the bond. Additional information may be found at https://bit.ly/ESDBOND2024.