I agree with all of you 5 closing questions about the plan presented last week. I’ll comment on your thoughts instead of regurgitating the comments that I sent already to the board and administration last week on the excellent presentation.
1) On demographics, I have questions about how the 500+- increase of total enrollment jives with the 500+- capacity increase prosed for the HS and the 600+- capacity gained by transferring 5th grade in to one of the MS. Maybe it’s the same kids at different points in time. And that doesn’t even question the reliability of the population projects as you wondered.
2) As you properly point out, this is not just a facilities plan, since they clearly said many times that it was intended to be a comprehensive plan, including the staffing both for growth and for the other items you mentioned. Some of those items might have ordinarily been included in future “district priorities”, so that might reduce the future 2-3% increases if they are already included in this plan.
3) Pages #75 & 76 show a financial plan that suggests that a $60 million MS plan might be only barely affordable under Act 1. If that’s true, a $250 HS renovation or relocation anywhere seems almost out of the question. Thus, your suggestion of an alternative scaled back plan makes sense.
4) The presentation covered many details about many facility deficiencies and upgrades so I won’t go into those except to say like you did that they should be better understood, evaluated, and prioritized, especially with our questions about affordability we both express.
5) Like you, I’m glad they’re looking at this now. They probably should have done more around 2015-16, when I warned the board that they should try to conserve the $6 million of debt service funding which was expiring then. But then, Mr Saul's excellent spreadsheet was just coming into existence, so the wisdom from it was new.
However, sadly, they may be rushing into a decision by trying to have a vote about something in November before the existing school board dissolves with two members retiring, never mind what happens in this election.
Thank you for this, Ziad. I wasn't able to make this meeting. I have forwarded it to several people.
Dr. Ziad,
I agree with all of you 5 closing questions about the plan presented last week. I’ll comment on your thoughts instead of regurgitating the comments that I sent already to the board and administration last week on the excellent presentation.
1) On demographics, I have questions about how the 500+- increase of total enrollment jives with the 500+- capacity increase prosed for the HS and the 600+- capacity gained by transferring 5th grade in to one of the MS. Maybe it’s the same kids at different points in time. And that doesn’t even question the reliability of the population projects as you wondered.
2) As you properly point out, this is not just a facilities plan, since they clearly said many times that it was intended to be a comprehensive plan, including the staffing both for growth and for the other items you mentioned. Some of those items might have ordinarily been included in future “district priorities”, so that might reduce the future 2-3% increases if they are already included in this plan.
3) Pages #75 & 76 show a financial plan that suggests that a $60 million MS plan might be only barely affordable under Act 1. If that’s true, a $250 HS renovation or relocation anywhere seems almost out of the question. Thus, your suggestion of an alternative scaled back plan makes sense.
4) The presentation covered many details about many facility deficiencies and upgrades so I won’t go into those except to say like you did that they should be better understood, evaluated, and prioritized, especially with our questions about affordability we both express.
5) Like you, I’m glad they’re looking at this now. They probably should have done more around 2015-16, when I warned the board that they should try to conserve the $6 million of debt service funding which was expiring then. But then, Mr Saul's excellent spreadsheet was just coming into existence, so the wisdom from it was new.
However, sadly, they may be rushing into a decision by trying to have a vote about something in November before the existing school board dissolves with two members retiring, never mind what happens in this election.