How Pennsbury, North Penn are tackling high school problem and what it means for you
The Pennsbury and North Penn School Districts are facing major decisions about their high schools.
New schools and renovations to existing ones cost millions of dollars, with taxpayers footing the bills well into the 21st century. But when campuses become so outdated they don’t meet educational, safety or accessibility standards, school boards face serious decisions on what to do and when.
Here's what's happening with two local districts:
More: Pennsbury School Board faces dilemma over how big a high school it needs
North Penn voters could decide on high school
On Oct. 19, the North Penn School Board will decide whether to put a referendum question on next year's ballot that would decide how to fund the $400.8 million renovation project for its high school. If the ballot question is approved, voters will be asked about borrowing funds above the state-regulated limit.
The district has said the renovations would add room for 1,000 ninth-grade students, bringing the total enrollment to 4,216.
The funds also will cover the costs of a transportation center for the district.
If the board opts not to put the question in front of voters — or if they do and it's rejected at the ballot — the renovation project will cost $236.32 million, including the transportation center. But ninth-graders will stay in the three middle schools, which will need renovations of their own down the road.
Pennsbury's big decision: Renovate or build new?
The Pennsbury School District, which already has a ninth through 12th grade high school students attending classes at two adjacent campuses connected by shuttle buses, must decide whether to build one new high school or renovate the West Campus into a single high school while demolishing the East Campus.
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When first proposed, the district gave cost estimates for both 2,800 and 3,100 students, depending on whether Morrisville students would merge into the Pennsbury district.
The estimates ranged from $137.1 million to $166.9 million for 2,800 to 3,100 students in a renovated West Campus to $179.3 million to $193 million for 2,800 to 3,100 students in a new building. But at a recent meeting, James Lynch of D’Huy Ensgineering said the costs would range from $175 million to $220 million for a renovated building and $230 million to $250 million for new construction.
District Chief Financial Officer Chris Berdnik said the cost increases are tied to hikes in the needed square footage and higher construction costs per square foot. And those figures no longer include a transportation center which was estimated at $6 million a few years ago, he noted.
The district is now planning to hire an enrollment consultant to project how many students would attend the high school in 2029, when the project is expected to open for classes.
On a field trip to see new high schools in Upper Merion and Avon Grove, Pennsylvania, residents saw cafeterias designed like food courts, auditoriums that could be used for multiple purposes and locker spaces meant only for students who want one.
Lynch said if renovated, the West campus would still need a new auditorium and a new, larger gym. And a new swimming pool facility would be included in both options.
A new school would cost more but it also would allow for more efficient design, so it wouldn't have to be as large as an expanded West, Lynch told the board. Renovations would have to include the latest designs for handicapped accessibility because the project would involve more than 30% of the building, tripping that requirement, he pointed out.
Whatever the Pennsbury board decides, Berdnik said the district won’t need to go to a referendum.
“Even at $250 million for the high school, we will still be $116 million away from our borrowing capacity at the closest point,” Berdnik said.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Pennsbury, North Penn face high stakes in picking high school designs
