Private fundraising for the proposed new middle and high school in Woodstock has reached $4.25 million, school officials announced Friday.
Voters in the seven towns of the Mountain Views School District go to the polls Tuesday, March 3, to decide a bond issue of nearly $112 million.
District officials have promised not to proceed with the project if they cannot raise at least 25% of the project’s cost through federal, state and private funds. State school construction aid is slated to pick up 20% of the tab.
The donations include a $1.5 million challenge grant from longtime Woodstock resident Max Comins. If the bond is approved, the community would have 12 months to donate grants that would match Comins’ gift.
“This level of generosity sends a powerful message,” Seth Webb, a member of the Mountain Views board and chairman of the district’s Rebuild Working Group, said in a news release. “Community members are stepping forward because they believe in delivering a modern, safe, and educationally sound school for our students and because they want to help to reduce the financial burden on local taxpayers.”
Tuesday’s vote will be the second attempt to fund a replacement for Woodstock Union Middle and High School, which was built in the late 1950s and has outlived its useful life. Voters rejected a $99 million bond issue in March 2024.
Though the proposal has grown in cost since then, district officials have worked to reduce the cost impact on taxpayers. Between state aid and private fundraising, the cost impact would be limited to around $84 million.
Projects can qualify for up to 40% state aid, so the Woodstock project could receive more than the 20% officials are current banking on.
Donations to match the $1.5 million challenge grant would bring private fundraising to $5.75 million by this time next year, school officials said.