Wallingford-Swarthmore outlines 10-year capital plan process, flags Strath Haven high school as priority

My name is Jim Scanlon. I'm the interim superintendent for the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District, and tonight's meeting is to explain the district's process for developing a 10-year capital plan, Scanlon said. "It's a matter of taking all of this data that we've collected the last 2 years and putting it together in a plan so that the board can then vote on a plan and approve a plan," he said.

Phil Solomon, regional manager for ICS Solutions, summarized the consultant team's approach: facility condition assessments, demographic and capacity studies, program-driven space planning (including special education and full-day kindergarten), stakeholder engagement and year-by-year funding options. "What we're looking for is a financially viable plan that's aligned with district priorities and educational vision," Solomon said.

Why it matters: The district's facility replacement value was presented at about $390,000,000, and consultants cited industry rules of thumb that districts typically must invest roughly 1.5–3% (APPA guidance) or 2–4% (National Academies study) of replacement value annually to maintain building systems. Solomon and Scanlon said several…