# 11 10 26 Full Board Meeting

Helena School District’s full board meeting on November 12, 2026, included updates on bond financing and construction procurement. The district’s financial adviser reported plans to issue $11.5 million in elementary-school bonds and an apparent $8 million in high-school bonds; the transcript’s high-school figure is unclear. Approximately $30 million in high-school bonds is expected to be deferred until around 2028. The district planned to lock rates on November 19 and bring a final bond resolution to the board in December. Preliminary estimates indicated about $6 million less in overall interest costs and $7–8 million more in bond premium than projected at election time, with expected true interest costs of roughly 4.5%–4.9%. For the district kitchen project, the team reported a guaranteed maximum price of $119,941,908 across 30 bid packages. At Kesler Elementary, four bids were received for the masonry package, with contract work underway; the final building package is scheduled to bid January 26. Capital High design, submittals, and steel procurement remain in progress, and final affordability of potential additions will depend on bids and remaining contingencies.

The superintendent said he will recommend bringing the May Butler property sale proposal back for board consideration in December, with any proceeds directed to construction projects; the district has previously issued two RFPs without receiving proposals. Staff are also exploring a possible long-term lease for a bus-storage site rather than seeking a new property purchase. Separately, the board discussed proposed state school-funding changes that district estimates could produce nearly $7 million in additional annual funding if enacted; these are legislative proposals, not approved allocations. No final property disposition or new transportation-site lease was approved at this meeting.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Education, Construction & Infrastructure
**Topics:** Physical Infrastructure, Grants & Funding
**Published:** November 12, 2026

### Sources
- [11 10 26 Full Board Meeting](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8zX79a4KsA) - Helena School District