Recap and Next Steps from Special Board Meeting
Last night, the Board of Education held a special meeting in the Central High School Auditorium. We invited Robert Schwarz, CEO of RSP & Associates, to share insights from the comprehensive student enrollment and building utilization analysis that the Board commissioned in May. This detailed 90-page report highlights RSP’s findings and projections, along with the assumptions and methodologies they used.
You can access the full report here: RSP Report
Key elements of RSP’s 10-year forecasts include:
- District-wide enrollment continues to grow at an unsustainable rate with our current facilities
- New development is forecasted to add approximately 5,000 new housing units in the next 10 years, which would reflect an approximate 60% increase of our current homes within the district – most on the northeast side of the District
- A number of buildings are at, or will be, beyond their functional capacity
- Country Trails Elementary School
- Howard B. Thomas Grade School
- Prairie View Grade School
- Prairie Knolls Middle School
- Central High School
- A new 20-classroom addition at Central High School provides for functional classroom capacity, but does not resolve insufficient space in the common areas (technical education labs, career college center, lunch room, auditorium, library) and limits instructional opportunities needed to prepare students for future academic study and readiness for the workplace
After Mr. Schwarz’s presentation, the Board engaged in thoughtful public discussion about the options available for addressing the expected future growth in the District. At the regular School Board meeting on Monday, August 19, the Board will select one of the two options still under consideration. A vote will be held to adopt a resolution to place a building referendum on the ballot, asking the voters’ approval at the General Election on November 5, 2024.
A link to a recorded copy of the presentation and Board discussion is here.
The two options under consideration by the Board are:
Option 1: Building a new high school on the Route 47 site owned by the District. The current high school would then become a middle school, and Prairie Knolls Middle School would transition to an additional elementary school to accommodate the growth on the northeast side of the District. This project is estimated to cost $224.6 million.
The increase of approximately $30 million for the high school is accounted for based on three primary factors:
- Approximately a 4% escalation in costs annually from original estimates through projection completion of SY 27;
- Approximately a 6% addition for furniture, fixture and equipment (FFE) that was going to be expended from district reserves is now incorporated into the referendum amount. District reserve dollars will be spent on retrofitting other facilities that would be impacted upon the completion of the new high school facility;
- Approximately a 1% increase in site/earth/road work costs
Option 2: Building a new school on the Route 47 site to be used initially as a middle school. Prairie Knolls Middle School would become an additional elementary school to address the concentrated growth on the northeast side of the District. This project is estimated to cost $185 million.
The Board meeting on August 19 will be held at the District Office at 275 South St., Burlington, starting at 6:00 p.m. We will continue to provide regular updates and additional details on this important topic.
Thank you for your attention and engagement as we work together to shape the future of our District.
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