An official price tag was approved by the Baldwin School Board Monday night. The 2008 bond issue is priced at $22.9 million.

The cost was approved unanimously at the meeting when the board voted to make a resolution that will be voted on June 23.

“They made a motion last night to basically move forward with a bond issue for the November election at $22.9 million and to give direction to John McArthur, the financial advisor, to create a resolution for the ballot,” Supt. Paul Dorathy said.

School Board President Alison Bauer spoke up at Monday’s meeting and said she didn’t want to cut any items off the bond issue. After the meeting, she clarified what she said.

“This is what the facilities’ committee recommended and the board is pretty much behind that,” Bauer said. “Rather than start chunking the bond issue up into smaller parts, we are going to put it before the community and let the taxpayers of our school district decide.

“If they decide in its favor, then that’s all for the good of our district,” she said. “If they should decide not, then we may have to rethink it. Rather than us rethinking before the community has spoken, we’d like to hear what they think first.”

The $22.9 million bond issue includes a new 480-student Baldwin Elementary School Primary Center and early childhood center. That building would include the BESPC students, the 4-year-old program students, Parents as Teachers organization and possibly Rainbow Experience Preschool.

Also included on the committee’s recommendation was a new performing arts center. It would be around 10,000 square feet and would hold around 600 people. Other items are four baseball and softball fields, a practice track and field facility, roof and updated heating and cooling systems at Baldwin Junior High School and technology and security needs.

The original price of the school district’s facilities’ committee recommendation was $22.5 million. That was recommended to the board in March.

At the last meeting, the board was given a $24.1 million cost on the bond issue. On Monday, they agreed to take out the street extension that was costing around $1.2 million. That extension took Elm Street east of the proposed BESPC, where it connects with Lawrence Street, and connects it with Bullpup Drive.

At the June 23 meeting, the school board will vote on the resolution for the bond issue. There will be a complete story on the bond issue in this week's Signal which is available Thursday.