School board reviews Schmidt Associates facilities study outlining multimillion-dollar options, no decisions made

Schmidt Associates presented preliminary facility options to the New Albany‑Floyd County Consolidated Schools Board during a March 31 work session, laying out tiered priorities for elementary, middle and high school needs and offering preliminary cost estimates but asking the board to delay decisions until the district has clearer information on state revenue and property tax reform.

The presentation outlined a roadmap of tier 1–5 priorities based on the district’s functional capacity study and existing enrollment. Schmidt Associates’ Kyle Miller said the firm’s analysis shows most elementary schools are operating with a desk deficit and that the need for building additions is driven by current space shortfalls rather than near‑term enrollment growth. “It appears the demographic study that enrollment is not increasing in the next several years to drive building additions or new buildings,” Miller said.

The draft options include renovating and adding onto existing buildings, constructing new elementary campuses and reconfiguring grade assignments (for example, moving fifth grade back to elementary schools or creating intermediate schools for grade five). Schmidt’s team estimated that returning fifth grade to elementary buildings would “require substantial construction projects at high cost,” and said an option to build or renovate two new intermediate schools for grade five would be another major expense; the consultant cited an estimate of “4,000,000 plus a year” to accommodate fifth grade districtwide as a planning figure provided in the presentation.

Miller and the core group also showed sample costs for specific scenarios: a schematic new elementary building sized for 750 students had a planning‑level estimate of about $69,100,000 under one model; the consulting team noted that baseball and softball field work alone could approach $100,000,000 because of floodplain constraints and site development costs. Miller cautioned that those numbers are high‑level test costs based on assumptions in the study and will change with scope, final design and market conditions.

The consultants discussed preserving portions of older facilities as an option. For Georgetown Elementary, Schmidt’s team suggested keeping the historic front and gym as a district‑owned shell that could be used or leased for community office space while building new instructional space adjacent to it. Timelines for any project were not set; Miller said the district should expect “months” of follow‑up work and more clarity once the state legislative session and property tax proposals are resolved.

Dr. Madison, who introduced the consultants, emphasized caution on timing: “We’re kind of at the presentation phase…we’re still in that preliminary phase of discussion,” she said, and added that funding questions tied to ongoing state legislative work will affect any bond or capital plan. The board asked follow‑up questions about vacant district land, which the consultants said they have cataloged, and about the assumptions used to calculate functional capacity and cost per square foot.

The consultants will post the materials and updated slides on the district website for public review and return with additional answers to board questions. No formal action or vote was taken at the work session; the presentation was advisory and intended to guide future board decisions.