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Why do we need this improvement?

Public Presentations:

P-H-M has reviewed and discussed the idea of a fieldhouse for years. The purpose of this improvement is to construct a facility to help meet the growing need for additional academic and athletic programming space at Penn High School.

A field house would provide additional space for our physical education and wellness programs, for our robust and award-winning athletics teams, for increased student intramural offerings, and to better partner with high school and youth community club sports.

It will positively impact our outstanding fine arts programs such as the Marching Band and Guard. It will provide additional opportunities to host large STEM gatherings like FIRST Robotics. It could host student gatherings and dances, art fairs, and exhibits.

It would likely serve as a testing location for students in advanced placement courses.

Most importantly, this will serve as the first step in a strategic plan to re-imagine space at Penn High School to further expand and meet the academic needs of our students while preparing them for college and career success.

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Facility Assessment History

Schmidt Study 2015

Identified:

Deficiency in the gymnasium and locker room space as it related to Physical Education.

Fanning Howey Study 2022

Identified:

Additional physical education and athletic space is need to adequately support existing and future programming.
Students report late evening practice times to access to indoor gym and track facilities.
Indoor track and field practice and competition is limited by the size of existing facilities and programming needs at SMS and GMS.
The current Penn HS wrestling room does not meet the needs of the program or support expansion to girls’ wrestling
Intramurals and student clubs are limited to non-gym spaces due to current facility capacity and scheduling restraints.
Access to a large multi-surface space is needed to better support Winter Guard.

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Multipurpose Fieldhouse Configurations

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Multipurpose Fieldhouse Configurations

Student Dances and Gatherings

Orientation, Community Job Fairs, and Club/Activity Night

Marching Kingsmen & Winter Guard

Team 135 and FIRST Robotics

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Impact on Academic Success in the Classroom

Involvement in sports or performing arts contribute to academic success:

It is well-known that psychological benefits directly impact academic performance and learning. Participation in these additional activities contribute to the enhancement of:

Self-Esteem
Self-Confidence
Resilience

Developmental Benefits:

The Field House will enhance school participation and foster positive relationships and lead to being a valued part of P-H-M’s Triangle of Success. (Penn student athletes maintain a GPA above 3.6 versus 3.2 for the rest of the student population).

Social Benefits:

Expanded opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities will enrich a student's social experiences, improve their well-being and contribute to their academic success by helping to develop essential skills to work with and collaborate with others.

Examples:

Increased social interactions Proximity to a caring adult with a coach as mentor
Access to a social network Develop friendships
Improved school attendance Develop a sense of belonging and community
Teamwork and Collaboration

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How will this impact Penn during the School day?

A multipurpose field house will provide additional Physical Education classroom space
Provides a large group space for active learning activities for any class at Penn.
Provides the opportunity for additional student parking
Provides a secure testing location for AP testing
Most importantly, this will serve as the first step in a strategic plan to re-imagine space at Penn High School to further expand and meet the academic needs of our students while preparing them for college and career success.

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Is this the best option?

The construction of a fieldhouse does not raise the tax rate. We CAN afford to make this improvement for the students in our school district.

Multiple locations and construction options were reviewed. This proposed design and location of a multipurpose fieldhouse:

provides the school district the opportunity to meet the academic and extracurricular needs of our students and programs as identified in the last two (2) facility studies.

is the most affordable location and construction type of a multipurpose field house

will not impact student learning or facility use at Penn High School during construction (anticipated to be 18-20 months).

the parcel of land will allow for future capital improvements to be considered as the district’s programming and student learning needs evolve.

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Financial Impact of Project: Can we afford this improvement?

P-H-M has designed a cascading debt structure over 14 years

This provides ongoing capacity to maintain and improve our aging facilities, educational spaces, and grounds without the need to increase tax rates.

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P-H-M Goal: Maintain a stable tax rate while meeting our capital improvement needs

Bond issuance in 2023 with first payment due in 2024

P-H-M has sufficient debt capacity to continue future capital improvements, including for Summer 2024 and beyond

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P-H-M has the lowest tax rate of the surrounding 12 districts in St. Joseph and Elkhart Counties!

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Project Cost and Timing

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At P-H-M, we are proud of the way we forecast revenue and expenditures to achieve:

Overall Fiscal Health

Excellence in Education

● The most stable cash reserves in our history.

● The lowest local property tax rate of our surrounding 12 districts in Elkhart and St. Joseph counties.

● The highest beginning teacher salary in the area.

● Wonderful benefits offerings for staff, including retirement plans.

● The ability to provide 100% of classroom supplies, curriculum materials, and technology, at no cost to families.

● The ability to renovate and improve all of our facilities over the next 10 years focusing on Energy Efficiency, Safety, Expanding Learning Opportunities, and Maintaining Optimal Learning Spaces.

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