Orange County Schools bond update: three options offered for Phase 1 projects; design team to seek public feedback

Orange County Schools staff and a team of architects and project managers presented a bond-program update on March 24 outlining three refined options for the roughly $125 million in bond funds allocated to the district. The update described project phasing, site constraints, program goals and next steps for community engagement.

The three Phase 1 options presented were:

1) An on-site replacement for Central Elementary School followed by targeted renovations (including Pathways Elementary and Orange Middle School). Staff said wetlands and limited swing space on the Central site would complicate construction and force a footprint near the existing school.

2) A new K-5 (greenfield) on county-owned land adjacent to Gravely Hill Middle School, allowing new construction off-line from existing operations; that option also includes renovations to Central and Orange Middle and would reduce student disruption during construction.

3) A new K-8 built at the Orange Middle School site. Consultants said a K-8 can improve transitions and reduce some long-term facility costs; the Orange K-8 option also enabled the largest portfolio reduction and the greatest projected operational savings over time, according to the consultants27 multi-factor analysis.

Consultants from KEA, Clark Nexon and PMC explained the methodology behind their ranking of the three scenarios. The analysis used nine factors including alignment with the Wolpert (facility) study, portfolio optimization (fewer, newer schools), operational savings, schedule and risk, cost per student and neighborhood traffic and construction impact. In that analysis the Orange K-8 scored best on portfolio optimization and projected 10-year operational savings, but board members and staff flagged significant questions about traffic, athletics during construction, community impact and the size of a combined K-8 campus.

Financial context: PMC presented high-level construction-cost metrics and a cost-per-student comparison across the three options. The consultants said each option affects roughly 1,700 students and approximately 250,000 square feet of district space. The Orange K-8 option produced the largest projected portfolio reduction (about 18% of the affected space) and the largest 10-year utility/maintenance savings estimate (roughly $6.6 million), but it also requires careful traffic and staging planning because of existing site circulation challenges.

Board and staff discussion focused on traffic and neighborhood impacts, site constraints, timing and community engagement. Several board members asked that staff ensure early and broad public outreach and suggested in-person displays, multiple hours and translation services. Constituents at the meeting and board members urged the team to host sessions in affected communities and to make materials accessible to families who do not typically attend central office meetings.

Next steps: staff said they will present the three options as 36-by-24 display boards and host community engagement April 720(noon-2 p.m., teacher workday session) and April 8-9 (evenings) at a central location, with additional materials and a web-based survey available. The team said they will incorporate feedback and bring a recommendation to the board by May 5 for the first priority project to align with the county budgeting calendar.

Ending: Consultants and district staff emphasized that the three options will be further refined with community input, geotechnical and stormwater review and more detailed cost and traffic analyses before the board selects a Phase 1 project for the $125 million bond allocation.