Bulldogs Celebrate Auditorium and Education Center Renovations

There will be events later this month in Kearney School District to mark publicly the completion of two major Proposition B capital bond projects.

The Kearney High School Auditorium Renovation Celebration will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 24 at the school. This event will feature performances by the high school choir, under the direction of Dustin McKinney, and the cast of the school’s upcoming production of the Disney musical “The Little Mermaid,” under the direction of Haley Kernes.

“We’re excited to welcome the community into our school to see this beautiful new facility,” - Kearney High School Principal Andy Gustafson

“We’re excited to welcome the community into our school to see this beautiful new facility,” Kearney High School Principal Andy Gustafson said. “This project will help provide outstanding experiences for our theater, choir and band students, in addition to facilitating school- and district-wide events.”

Open-house tours of the expanded Early Education Center (EEC) will be available for members of the public from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 28. This will coincide with the Kearney Farmers Market. School and district leaders plus special guests will gather at 10:30 a.m. for a ribbon cutting and photo opportunity.

The EEC roughly doubled in size to take over the entire building that used to be shared with school district’s central office

School district residents approved the $44 million zero-tax-rate-increase bond issue on April 5, 2022, to fund a new long-range facilities master plan for the district. Approval of the bond issue did not increase the district’s property tax rate. Prop B bond funds can only be used for capital improvement projects.

The EEC and auditorium were among several Prop B projects that were finished on time as promised this summer. Other completed projects included additional restroom facilities in the sixth-grade wing at Kearney Middle School, and roof replacement and wall repairs at Kearney Junior High.

The EEC roughly doubled in size to take over the entire building that used to be shared with school district’s central office.

“This significantly enhances our capacity to serve and support our preschool children and their families,” EEC Principal Amy Baugh said. “Demand for these services has soared and we’re excited to welcome those families to a bigger and better EEC!”