USD 377 board weighs funding options for unsafe Tiger Track replacement

USD 377’s board returned to Tiger Track with a basic question that carries long-term consequences for students and taxpayers: how to pay to replace a facility the district has already labeled a safety concern during use.

The May 13 regular-session agenda set the board’s 6:30 p.m. meeting at the district administration building in Effingham, 306 Main St., and kept the public-comment process open for residents who registered to speak and stayed within policy and school-business topics. Before reaching the track discussion, the board planned recognitions for Ethan Brooks, Adeline McManus, Nathan Palmer and Kai Phillips for speech and interpretation achievements, a reminder that the district was trying to balance student accomplishments with a facilities decision tied directly to athletics and safety.

The agenda item, titled Tiger Track Replacement Funding Options, was listed for discussion and possible action. In the background note, the board said it wanted to replace the current track because it had become a safety concern during use. That makes the issue more than a routine maintenance item. It places the track alongside the district’s broader responsibility to provide students with a stable, efficient and safe learning environment, especially in programs such as Track & Field.

The funding question also follows a March 11 board decision that moved the track conversation from general concern to a concrete rebuild plan. At that meeting, USD 377 agreed to seek bids for a complete rebuild of the high school track, along with renovations to the stadium bleachers that would include ADA-accessible seating upgrades. The district was already juggling other capital needs at the same time, approving bids totaling $271,432 for new stage lighting and audio equipment for the high school auditorium. The Atchison County Community Foundation was set to contribute $216,800 toward that project.

For families watching from Effingham, Atchison County and the surrounding district, the stakes are practical. A new track would benefit athletes, physical education classes and school activities that rely on safe field access. If the board delays, the district stays with a facility it has already identified as unsafe, while also pushing the replacement cost farther into future budgets and capital planning. The agenda showed a board that has already accepted the need for a rebuild; the unresolved question was how quickly the district can match that decision with money.