[T]he Burlington school board has asked the city to put a $70 million bond on the ballot to pay for major renovations of the high school.
The City Council will begin discussing the proposal at its meeting next week, and if approved, it would go to a public vote in November.
District officials say the overhaul is needed to address accessibility and safety problems on the sprawling, six-building campus, as well as crumbling and outdated infrastructure and facilities that date back to the 1960s.
“In a city built upon institutions of higher learning we must continue to lay the educational foundation for our current and future students,” board chair Clare Wool said in a statement. “Our thriving community depends on the quality of our school system.”
The school board picked from three options on Tuesday, and ultimately voted 9-1 to endorse the most expensive one – a $68.5 million proposal with $1.5 million for contingencies and air conditioning. The board had already decided against simply addressing deferred maintenance for a little over $30 million, or a complete demolition and rebuild for $100 million.
According to the district, a survey sent to community members elicited over 400 responses, with over 70 percent of respondents supporting the $68.5 million bond.
The proposed bond would have a projected tax impact, depending on the year, ranging from $17 to $302 on a $250,000 home, according to a district analysis.
For those paying school taxes based on $50,000 in annual earnings, the tax impact would range from $5 to $80 a year. Combined with other school district debt, the district would have a total debt load of $120 million at the bond’s peak, requiring it to put $9.8 million toward debt service in a single year.
The proposed plan would demolish Buildings C and D, which house the school’s math and history wings. Buildings A and B – the high school’s main buildings — would be consolidated and enlarged, with an additional 115,000 square-feet wrapping around Building A. Building E would be either demolished or repurposed.
The renovations would address compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act; consolidate classroom, student support, and departmental spaces; add “maker-spaces” and fix long-deferred maintenance, officials say.
The construction would also improve energy efficiency with new windows, better insulation, and a new roof, and improve safety with a new sprinkler system and fewer entrance points into the building.
“The prospect of this project moving forward and addressing our accessibility needs, outdated learning spaces, and safety issues at BHS excites me for our students and staff,” Superintendent Yaw Obeng said in a statement.
“The support of our school board is a good step forward and now we look to continuing to engage our staff and community in the project’s design and implementation.”
