Aging and inadequate facilities were the focus of Coupeville Schools Superintendent Jim Shank’s State of the Schools address last week.

While no formal action has been taken, Shank said the school board discussed voting on a resolution to go out for a capital facilities levy during the December board meeting.

If passed, a levy would run in a special election in February.

Shank said he does not have a dollar amount tied to the proposal yet but will have better numbers in December.

It’s a quick turnaround, but previous levies have passed with similar timelines, he said.

During his address, Shank highlighted the facility needs of the district, then took attendees on a tour of the middle school to see for themselves.

On the list of needs are new heating and cooling systems for the middle and elementary schools.

“If you’ve ever come to the school for a parent-teacher conference, you were probably cold,” he said. “And if you went to a play and the heat was on, you couldn’t hear.”

Other necessities include replacing the middle school roof, fixing water damage at the elementary school, repairing plumbing in the elementary school bathrooms as well as updating those.

“It’s time to get them done,” Shank said.

A committee, which worked for a year reviewing district facilities, also suggested building a new cafeteria space at the elementary school connecting the multipurpose room and repairing the existing gym space.

Shank said when discussing the issue with various community members, they asked why the regular Operations and Maintenance Levy can’t be used for these needs.

“The M&O Levy is used for common repairs,” he said. “There’s not much extra there.”

As an example, he said it cost the district $23,000 last year to repair the elevator at the high school.

He also highlighted the need for updating and repairing district athletic facilities.

The track was installed in 1984.

“It was never intended to last 30 years,” Shank said. “We got such a great return on investment on that track. It’s phenomenal.”

The district also can’t host track meets because it’s not regulation. It’s only six lanes — regulation is eight — and it’s a quarter-mile track measured in yards, not meters.

Other repairs include resurfacing the tennis courts, fixing the motor on the bleachers in the gym, replacing broken doors and installing new bleachers at the football field.

Another problem the district faces is that plans for Engle Field, developed in 2004, are set to expire in April.

The plans were paired with the high school construction project but couldn’t be completed due to a financial shortfall, Shank said.

If a levy doesn’t pass, the district will have to start over on that plan, which includes modifications to the district’s athletic fields.

“Otherwise we’ll have to go back to the drawing board,” Shank said.

One issue the district faces is declining enrollment. The district has seen a steady decline since the 2008-09 school year.

Shank said the majority of families are moving away due to other employment opportunities.

But they have lost students to other districts on the island.

Shank said making repairs and having better facilities might make the district more appealing and help enrollment.

The district cannot specifically campaign for the levy and a levy campaign group is being formed. Those details are forthcoming.