According to Superintendent William Bush, the expansion project will cost a
pproximately $8.1 million. The district approved a straight mortgage plan from Peoples National Bank to finance that amount over 20 years. The interest rate will be 3.5 percent for the first 10 years of the loan; 3.65 percent for the next five years; and a fluctuating rate between 3.5 and 5.0 percent, depending on the economic market at the time, for the final five years.Bush said the district looked at funding packages from many lending institutions and bond issuers, and the Peoples rates were by far the best available.
Since the career and technology center is not in itself a taxing entity, the project would be paid for by tuitions and fees paid by its eight member schools, as are all of the center's expenses.
In addition to Elk Lake, member school districts are Blue Ridge, Lackawanna Trail, Montrose Area, Mountain View, Susquehanna Community and Tunkhannock Area. In regards to Elk Lake's share, Bush said the project would likely result in less than a one mill tax increase over the course of the construction project. He said he couldn't speak directly for the other school districts, but he believes it is well within their budgets to handle the cost as well.
One reason the cost can be kept down is that adding programs will almost certainly increase the number of students at the center, Bush said. He estimated conservatively that enrollment would increase from 350 to 500 students the first year, and could be even higher after that.
The expansion as currently planned would have the capacity for far more that that number of students, the superintendent said.
As for programs, Bush said the decision as to what would be added was based primarily on surveys of the needs of the area business community, as well as the desires and interests of students. Data on future employment needs from the state Department of Labor and Industry was also considered. Programs that would be added include auto body collision and repair technician; vehicle maintenance and small engine repair technology; electrical, electronics and communications engineering technology (nanotechnology); health information and medical records technology; criminal justice / police science. To accommodate these programs, extensive renovations would be needed to the current career center, as well as construction of additional facilities. In November 2008, the school district contracted with architect John Kropcho & Associates to research possible expansion locations and designs. These were used in obtaining the financing. Final plans won't be drafted until the district commits to the project.
According to Bush, a public hearing will probably be held early this summer, which would enable the district to stay on its planned timetable.
If the project is approved, final design will be done in late summer, with major construction done during the 2009-2010 school year. Renovations to the existing space would have to be done during the summer of 2010, when classes are not in session, Bush said. That would enable the expanded center to be open to students by the fall of 2010.
An advantage to doing the project now is that a significant amount of the cost would be reimbursed by the state Department of Education. Bush said the state would pay nearly 43 percent of the cost over the term of the mortgage. That amount would be guaranteed over the 20-year term, he said.
The district is eligible for that reimbursement because it has been more than 20 years since the last construction project at the career center.
(Because the career center is considered a separate entity, other projects in the Elk Lake district don't count in that timeline.) In another matter, the board continued its examination of the district's 2009-2010 budget.
As has been its practice for the past several years, the board reviews about a third of the budget each month in March, April and May of each year, with the final totals included in the May meeting. This month, Bush presented figures on a number of administrative categories, such as the superintendent's and principals' offices, student health services, tax collection costs and legal services.
Bush noted that in these areas, costs are expected to be up about 3 percent over what was budgeted in 2008-2009. The primary reason is increased salaries, he said. The items on the agenda for the May meeting will include the largest expenditures, such as instructional and special education expenses, Bush said.
The board also approved the 2009-2010 school calendar. The school year is scheduled to start on Wednesday, Aug. 26 for students, with teachers reporting a day earlier. The last day of classes is set for Thursday, June 3, 2010, with graduation on June 12. The calendar has two built-in snow days, on Jan. 18 and April 5, 2010. Others would be made up at the end of the year, Bush said.
The date scheduled for Susquehanna County Dairy Day (in 2010 it's Friday, March 5) will no longer be a class day for students. To alleviate parking problems, the day will be an in-service day for teachers. Also, for the second consecutive year, classes on every Wednesday except for the first day will dismiss at 2 p.m. for teacher prep time in the afternoons.
Source : http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20305747&BRD=2279&PAG=461&dept_id=467076&rfi=6
