From the BCCT.
Panel: Schools will close
By: MANASEE WAGH
The Intelligencer
The full Centennial school board will consider the options at a meeting later this month.
Centennial School District will need to close two or even three of its elementary schools in coming years, the district's operating committee said Tuesday night.
Using suggestions from architects, the panel said the only way to provide a quality education to all of its 2,600 K-5 students is to pare down the existing six buildings.
The committee and other board members considered several options that are variations on architectural firm Burt Hill's 13 original suggestions.
The new options and their costs, which don't include revenue from selling some buildings, range from keeping four K-5 schools and selling two at a cost of $72.8 million to keeping three schools and selling three at a cost of between $65.1 million and $78 million, depending on renovations and reconstruction.
Board members quickly eliminated an option of using an existing school, building a new school and selling the remaining five at a cost of $71.8 million.
Most of the committee's attention was focused on the three K-5 schools options, in part because they would be arranged centrally across the district. Keeping Willow Dale, McDonald and Stackpole elementary schools means no student would be more than 2 miles from their elementary school, said architects.
Maintaining three schools would save the most money in operational costs - $2.5 million annually, said Victor Lasher, the district's director of facilities.
Board and resident opinions varied widely, from keeping four schools to waiting another two years to gather more information about the educational impact of each option.
Considering a four-school option is not cost-effective in the long run, said committee member Cynthia Mueller. It would require more staff and renovations to more buildings, and full-day kindergarten for all four schools wouldn't be financially possible, she said.
Committee member Betty Huf said she would rather keep four buildings than only three, but she didn't want to pursue any option too quickly, a sentiment that several community members echoed.
Resident Janet Richard said she doesn't want the board to move any of those options forward until the board considers the input of a community task force to study the elementary issue.
"There are people here who want to be involved. Even if it takes a two-year commitment, the community will have ownership of this," she said.
Superintendent Sandy Homel said that she has been talking to home and school association members to help provide ideas for the elementary schools as plans develop.
Regardless of what the full board eventually decides, district officials say that two or more schools will have to go.
Business director Tim Vail has projected that expenditures will outpace revenues in the next five years, with $5.8 million devoted to the schools' annual upkeep and needed renovations. The district also has to worry about a new teachers contract in June 2010 and a jump in district contributions to the Public School Employees' Retirement System by 2013.
The committee will revisit plans for the three K-5 school options at its next meeting, expected to be held later this month.
Details of the new plans are to be posted soon on the district's Web site at www.centennialsd.org.
Showing posts with label Centennial. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Centennial. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
One or more schools must go
From the BCCT.
One or more schools must go
Centennial anticipates uncontrollable costs the next five years and significantly higher contributions by 2013 for the Public School Employees’ Retirement System.
By MANASEE WAGH
STAFF WRITER
To most parents’ delight, the idea of a single elementary school went up in smoke.
However, Centennial’s not out of the woods yet.
A troubling financial outlook means one or more of the six current elementary schools will need to close within the next few years, said board members recently.
If nothing is done, the district’s expenditures would outstrip revenues every school year. By 2013-14 taxes would surpass the state mandated increase by about $7.9 million, according to projections from the district’s business office.
The administration says those numbers are conservative.
Projections even two years out show taxes surpassing the state-mandated limit by $1.4 million, assuming an Act 1 tax index of 3.9 percent for each year after 2009-10.
Under the state’s Act 1 legislation, school districts have to hold a public referendum to raise taxes more than 4.1 percent, which is unlikely since more than 80 percent of district residents do not have kids in public school, said school board operations committee members Cindy Mueller and Mark Miller at a recent meeting of the Courier Times editorial board.
“The Act 1 limit could change year to year. We don’t know,” board President Thomas Reinboth said Tuesday.
Over the next five years, Centennial anticipates uncontrollable costs, including a new professional staff contract next year and significantly higher contributions by 2013 for the Public School Employees’ Retirement System. Operating and maintaining all the elementary schools currently adds $5.8 million annually.
“A big wild card is the teacher’s contract we’ll be negotiating,” said Reinboth. The current contract expires in June 2010. “That could have a tremendous impact on the numbers, good or bad, but hopefully positively. We as a board will be reviewing these numbers at a finance committee meeting next week. I think it’s important for the whole board to review it,” he said. Total employee salaries and benefits represent about three-quarters of the budget. Teacher salaries and benefits are a large component of the total.
Revenue won’t keep up with expenditures, according to official figures, and the district doesn’t know enough details about how much the federal school stimulus would provide.
To save the most money in the long run, Miller and Mueller, who make up two-thirds of the operations committee, were pushing for a single $91 million elementary campus in Shenandoah Woods, a Warminster housing development for Willow Grove Naval Air Base before it closed. The federal government would have donated the land.
The campus was projected to save $2.2 million yearly, more than any other option that architects Burt Hill formulated, including renovating all schools. Constructing the single school in phases for an opening in 2013 would have reduced the gap in the budget from $7.9 million that year to $4.3 million, according to projections.
The existing elementary setup contains more than 60 unused classrooms altogether, said architects. With uneven class sizes and systems badly in need of renovation, the buildings cause an unnecessary drain on district finances, say board members.
Now the district and architects are going back to the drawing board to formulate other options besides the original 13 the board considered and discarded in the past month.
A more in-depth look at the financial plan will be discussed at an April 20 public finance committee meeting. It takes place at 6:30 p.m. in district offices at 433 Centennial Road, Warminster.
One or more schools must go
Centennial anticipates uncontrollable costs the next five years and significantly higher contributions by 2013 for the Public School Employees’ Retirement System.
By MANASEE WAGH
STAFF WRITER
To most parents’ delight, the idea of a single elementary school went up in smoke.
However, Centennial’s not out of the woods yet.
A troubling financial outlook means one or more of the six current elementary schools will need to close within the next few years, said board members recently.
If nothing is done, the district’s expenditures would outstrip revenues every school year. By 2013-14 taxes would surpass the state mandated increase by about $7.9 million, according to projections from the district’s business office.
The administration says those numbers are conservative.
Projections even two years out show taxes surpassing the state-mandated limit by $1.4 million, assuming an Act 1 tax index of 3.9 percent for each year after 2009-10.
Under the state’s Act 1 legislation, school districts have to hold a public referendum to raise taxes more than 4.1 percent, which is unlikely since more than 80 percent of district residents do not have kids in public school, said school board operations committee members Cindy Mueller and Mark Miller at a recent meeting of the Courier Times editorial board.
“The Act 1 limit could change year to year. We don’t know,” board President Thomas Reinboth said Tuesday.
Over the next five years, Centennial anticipates uncontrollable costs, including a new professional staff contract next year and significantly higher contributions by 2013 for the Public School Employees’ Retirement System. Operating and maintaining all the elementary schools currently adds $5.8 million annually.
“A big wild card is the teacher’s contract we’ll be negotiating,” said Reinboth. The current contract expires in June 2010. “That could have a tremendous impact on the numbers, good or bad, but hopefully positively. We as a board will be reviewing these numbers at a finance committee meeting next week. I think it’s important for the whole board to review it,” he said. Total employee salaries and benefits represent about three-quarters of the budget. Teacher salaries and benefits are a large component of the total.
Revenue won’t keep up with expenditures, according to official figures, and the district doesn’t know enough details about how much the federal school stimulus would provide.
To save the most money in the long run, Miller and Mueller, who make up two-thirds of the operations committee, were pushing for a single $91 million elementary campus in Shenandoah Woods, a Warminster housing development for Willow Grove Naval Air Base before it closed. The federal government would have donated the land.
The campus was projected to save $2.2 million yearly, more than any other option that architects Burt Hill formulated, including renovating all schools. Constructing the single school in phases for an opening in 2013 would have reduced the gap in the budget from $7.9 million that year to $4.3 million, according to projections.
The existing elementary setup contains more than 60 unused classrooms altogether, said architects. With uneven class sizes and systems badly in need of renovation, the buildings cause an unnecessary drain on district finances, say board members.
Now the district and architects are going back to the drawing board to formulate other options besides the original 13 the board considered and discarded in the past month.
A more in-depth look at the financial plan will be discussed at an April 20 public finance committee meeting. It takes place at 6:30 p.m. in district offices at 433 Centennial Road, Warminster.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Who needs options? Just do it!
From the BCCT.
Four options presented for school reorganization
By Manasee Wagh
Bucks County Courier Times
Centennial School District parents and teachers heard four options to reorganize the district's elementary schools Wednesday evening.
Seven board members selected the options from a longer list of 13 choices that architects presented to the public earlier this month. Six elementary schools currently serve more than 2,600 students in Upper Southampton, Warminster and Ivyland.
The district predicts budget shortfalls in the coming years if the aging elementary schools are allowed to continue as is. Major problems in the schools include underutilized space, renovation and replacement of original systems, and a lack of equivalent educational programs and resources across all schools.
The four current options are:
* Create two K-1 schools and two grade 2-5 schools; sell two schools. Cost of plan: $61.8 million
* Create two K-2 schools and two grade 3-5 schools; sell two schools. Cost of plan: $70.9 million
* Build one consolidated K-5 educational center to serve the entire district; sell all six existing schools. Cost of plan: $91 million
* Renovate four K-5 schools; close and sell two others. Cost of plan: $55.3 million
Each option will produce long-term savings in operating costs and the money from selling any schools will go into renovations and construction.
Some board members at the meeting gravitated toward selling all the existing schools and building an elementary campus in a single location. It would separate grade levels into individual areas. This option would save the most money in yearly operating costs and provide a fair and equal educational experience for all students, said Superintendent Sandy Homel.
Four options presented for school reorganization
By Manasee Wagh
Bucks County Courier Times
Centennial School District parents and teachers heard four options to reorganize the district's elementary schools Wednesday evening.
Seven board members selected the options from a longer list of 13 choices that architects presented to the public earlier this month. Six elementary schools currently serve more than 2,600 students in Upper Southampton, Warminster and Ivyland.
The district predicts budget shortfalls in the coming years if the aging elementary schools are allowed to continue as is. Major problems in the schools include underutilized space, renovation and replacement of original systems, and a lack of equivalent educational programs and resources across all schools.
The four current options are:
* Create two K-1 schools and two grade 2-5 schools; sell two schools. Cost of plan: $61.8 million
* Create two K-2 schools and two grade 3-5 schools; sell two schools. Cost of plan: $70.9 million
* Build one consolidated K-5 educational center to serve the entire district; sell all six existing schools. Cost of plan: $91 million
* Renovate four K-5 schools; close and sell two others. Cost of plan: $55.3 million
Each option will produce long-term savings in operating costs and the money from selling any schools will go into renovations and construction.
Some board members at the meeting gravitated toward selling all the existing schools and building an elementary campus in a single location. It would separate grade levels into individual areas. This option would save the most money in yearly operating costs and provide a fair and equal educational experience for all students, said Superintendent Sandy Homel.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Public hears options for future of district
From the BCCT.
Public hears options for future of district
The least expensive option could be almost half the cost of the most expensive — $100 million for a single elementary school building.
By MANASEE WAGH
Centennial’s six elementary schools could undergo $92.4 million in renovations in a few years.
Or they all might be closed, sold and replaced by a single, $100 million consolidated K-5 school serving more than 2,600 students in Upper Southampton, Warminster and Ivyland.
These are among 13 options presented to the public at a meeting this week of Centennial’s operations committee. At least 70 residents and teachers listened with concerned looks as a consultant presented the plans.
Each strives to save operational costs in the long run, make optimum use of current classrooms and spaces, and provides similar programs for all kindergarten through fifth-grade students, including full-day kindergarten, said board members.
The board has been considering improving the elementary schools for some time. Currently, the existing six schools underutilize space, according to feasibility studies prepared by the architectural design firm Burt Hill. Architect Michael Preston said Centennial could eliminate as many as 64 classrooms through consolidation.
At about 50 years old, existing elementary schools require renovations to bring them up to modern standards.
At the meeting Tuesday, large posters in the Everett McDonald Elementary School auditorium listed the positive and negative aspects of each plan. Options ranged from simply renovating each of the buildings to selling all of them and constructing a single building to house the district’s 2,633 elementary students. For planning purposes, architects are using a 10 percent higher population of 2,896 and a class size of 23.
Some residents opposed shutting down neighborhood schools. Many were skeptical of some options that would split students into different schools by grade.
“I think the ones where they split the kids is ridiculous,” said Patti McGorrey, the parent of two children at William W.H. Davis Elementary in Southampton. She wondered how to drop her kids off at different schools at the same time.
Operations committee and board member Mark Miller praised the idea of a single new building for about $100 million because it would save the district duplicate operational costs and duplicate facilities such as cafeterias and libraries, he said. The single building solution would cut down on the number of administrators and make it easier to provide the same services to all students.
Different grade levels in the building could be kept in separate wings, with common resources in the middle, Preston said.
At $55.6 million, the least expensive choice the board is considering is renovating four elementary schools. No new construction would be needed, and the remaining two schools would be closed and sold. Depending on which schools are closed, the cost to renovate the rest could raise the currently projected cost, architects said.
A sale could generate millions of dollars, though architects didn’t include that revenue in their cost projections. Former school properties could be turned into taxable residential sites, which would produce more income for the district, Preston said.
Each of the options is eligible for a state reimbursement of up to $9 million.
After Burt Hill’s presentation, the operations committee, administration officials and architects addressed dozens of community questions on a range of topics.
Some wondered how bus transportation would change, whether Centennial talked to other districts with similar elementary school designs, and how much money would be saved in the budget after the changes.
Board members said they will look for answers to many of the questions raised as they look more deeply into the options. The operations committee will continue discussions at its next public meeting at 6:30 p.m. on March 18.
Once the full board decides on a single plan, the design and construction process would take two to three years, said Preston.
Details of the 13 options in the Burt Hill study are posted on the district Web site, at www.centennialsd.org.
Public hears options for future of district
The least expensive option could be almost half the cost of the most expensive — $100 million for a single elementary school building.
By MANASEE WAGH
Centennial’s six elementary schools could undergo $92.4 million in renovations in a few years.
Or they all might be closed, sold and replaced by a single, $100 million consolidated K-5 school serving more than 2,600 students in Upper Southampton, Warminster and Ivyland.
These are among 13 options presented to the public at a meeting this week of Centennial’s operations committee. At least 70 residents and teachers listened with concerned looks as a consultant presented the plans.
Each strives to save operational costs in the long run, make optimum use of current classrooms and spaces, and provides similar programs for all kindergarten through fifth-grade students, including full-day kindergarten, said board members.
The board has been considering improving the elementary schools for some time. Currently, the existing six schools underutilize space, according to feasibility studies prepared by the architectural design firm Burt Hill. Architect Michael Preston said Centennial could eliminate as many as 64 classrooms through consolidation.
At about 50 years old, existing elementary schools require renovations to bring them up to modern standards.
At the meeting Tuesday, large posters in the Everett McDonald Elementary School auditorium listed the positive and negative aspects of each plan. Options ranged from simply renovating each of the buildings to selling all of them and constructing a single building to house the district’s 2,633 elementary students. For planning purposes, architects are using a 10 percent higher population of 2,896 and a class size of 23.
Some residents opposed shutting down neighborhood schools. Many were skeptical of some options that would split students into different schools by grade.
“I think the ones where they split the kids is ridiculous,” said Patti McGorrey, the parent of two children at William W.H. Davis Elementary in Southampton. She wondered how to drop her kids off at different schools at the same time.
Operations committee and board member Mark Miller praised the idea of a single new building for about $100 million because it would save the district duplicate operational costs and duplicate facilities such as cafeterias and libraries, he said. The single building solution would cut down on the number of administrators and make it easier to provide the same services to all students.
Different grade levels in the building could be kept in separate wings, with common resources in the middle, Preston said.
At $55.6 million, the least expensive choice the board is considering is renovating four elementary schools. No new construction would be needed, and the remaining two schools would be closed and sold. Depending on which schools are closed, the cost to renovate the rest could raise the currently projected cost, architects said.
A sale could generate millions of dollars, though architects didn’t include that revenue in their cost projections. Former school properties could be turned into taxable residential sites, which would produce more income for the district, Preston said.
Each of the options is eligible for a state reimbursement of up to $9 million.
After Burt Hill’s presentation, the operations committee, administration officials and architects addressed dozens of community questions on a range of topics.
Some wondered how bus transportation would change, whether Centennial talked to other districts with similar elementary school designs, and how much money would be saved in the budget after the changes.
Board members said they will look for answers to many of the questions raised as they look more deeply into the options. The operations committee will continue discussions at its next public meeting at 6:30 p.m. on March 18.
Once the full board decides on a single plan, the design and construction process would take two to three years, said Preston.
Details of the 13 options in the Burt Hill study are posted on the district Web site, at www.centennialsd.org.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Voters won’t be asked about tax limits
From the BCCT.
Voters won’t be asked about tax limits
Five districts are hoping state-authorized exemptions will allow them to exceed the property tax increase limit.
By JOAN HELLYER
School boards in Lower Bucks County will, once again, avoid asking voters for approval to raise property taxes above a pre-determined state limit for the next school year, district officials said.
The boards had until Jan. 29 to decide if voters’ approval to go above the limit would be needed during the May primary, according to the state’s property tax relief law.
Most districts are allowed to raise taxes 4.1 percent above their current millage rate, according to the state. Bristol’s index is 5.3 percent, and Bristol Township can raise taxes 5.2 percent without voter approval. The amount of increase allowable for each district is calculated by averaging the statewide average weekly wage with employment cost index data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, state officials said.
Local districts have not had to go to referendum since the tax relief law known as Act 1 went into effect in 2006. However, this year it was a close call for several districts struggling to cover projected expenses in the midst of the economic downturn.
To make ends meet, the Bensalem, Bristol, Centennial, Neshaminy and Pennsbury boards are considering a suggested tax increase that combines the district’s predetermined index rate with different exemptions.
The exemptions include expenses such as special education, health benefits and debt service costs incurred before Act 1 went into effect, officials said.
Bensalem, for instance, is asking the state for permission to claim exemptions for special education and health benefits. Those exemptions would push the district’s total tax increase to 6 percent of the current millage of 130.4 mills.
That equates to 7.77 mills and would mean the owner of the average property in the district would pay $170 more in taxes in 2009-10 should the board impose the maximum increase possible without voter approval.
As per Act 1, the five area districts looking to combine the index increase with exemptions have until mid February to adopt a preliminary budget specifying how they expect to cover 2009-10 costs.
The other three area boards, Bristol Township, Council Rock and Morrisville, have passed resolutions promising to keep any property tax increases for 2009-10 to the state-imposed limit.
Those school boards have until late May to adopt a preliminary budget. All districts have until June 30 to adopt their 2009-10 final budgets.
Voters won’t be asked about tax limits
Five districts are hoping state-authorized exemptions will allow them to exceed the property tax increase limit.
By JOAN HELLYER
School boards in Lower Bucks County will, once again, avoid asking voters for approval to raise property taxes above a pre-determined state limit for the next school year, district officials said.
The boards had until Jan. 29 to decide if voters’ approval to go above the limit would be needed during the May primary, according to the state’s property tax relief law.
Most districts are allowed to raise taxes 4.1 percent above their current millage rate, according to the state. Bristol’s index is 5.3 percent, and Bristol Township can raise taxes 5.2 percent without voter approval. The amount of increase allowable for each district is calculated by averaging the statewide average weekly wage with employment cost index data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, state officials said.
Local districts have not had to go to referendum since the tax relief law known as Act 1 went into effect in 2006. However, this year it was a close call for several districts struggling to cover projected expenses in the midst of the economic downturn.
To make ends meet, the Bensalem, Bristol, Centennial, Neshaminy and Pennsbury boards are considering a suggested tax increase that combines the district’s predetermined index rate with different exemptions.
The exemptions include expenses such as special education, health benefits and debt service costs incurred before Act 1 went into effect, officials said.
Bensalem, for instance, is asking the state for permission to claim exemptions for special education and health benefits. Those exemptions would push the district’s total tax increase to 6 percent of the current millage of 130.4 mills.
That equates to 7.77 mills and would mean the owner of the average property in the district would pay $170 more in taxes in 2009-10 should the board impose the maximum increase possible without voter approval.
As per Act 1, the five area districts looking to combine the index increase with exemptions have until mid February to adopt a preliminary budget specifying how they expect to cover 2009-10 costs.
The other three area boards, Bristol Township, Council Rock and Morrisville, have passed resolutions promising to keep any property tax increases for 2009-10 to the state-imposed limit.
Those school boards have until late May to adopt a preliminary budget. All districts have until June 30 to adopt their 2009-10 final budgets.
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