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Board reviews five‑year educational capital plan; bus replacement costs and penny revenue raise funding concerns
Summary
The board reviewed a county five‑year educational capital plan that includes major bus replacements and future roof and vestibule work. Staff warned that projected bus purchases and other planned expenditures could cause a $1.1 million shortfall in the plan without adjustments to funding or scope.
Washington County School Board members reviewed a five‑year educational capital plan that lists prioritized projects and projected revenues and warned that planned bus purchases and other capital needs could create a structural shortfall if current projections hold.
Staff presented the five‑year plan and explained the revenue basis: current property‑tax penny value and the share of pennies allocated to the educational capital fund. The plan includes recurring items such as buses, HVAC and roof work, technology phases, and planned security vestibules. Staff said the plan assumes modest annual growth in revenue tied to projected penny value increases.
“On the school bus line, about $3,200,000 is projected,” staff said, reflecting needs to replace an aging fleet as many older buses come offline. Staff warned that if all planned items proceed at the amounts shown, the fund balance would turn negative in later years. “If those expenditures… were actually made, then it would create a negative… almost $1,100,000 deficit at that point in time in the fund balance,” staff said.
Board members discussed options: (1) reduce scope and defer some projects; (2) ask the county commission to increase capital allocations; or (3) shift some recurring costs to the general fund. Speakers described how penny‑rate mechanics and prior adjustments for debt service affect the number of pennies available for capital and said the commission’s prior reallocation of pennies reduced the portion available to the educational fund.
The board voted to approve the five‑year plan as a projection to carry forward to the county, with the understanding it is a planning document subject to revision as prices and commission allocations change. Staff said they would continue refining estimates and noted that actual costs (for example, for roof replacements and vehicle prices) can change materially between now and the scheduled years.
Board members emphasized the need for regular updates and asked staff to present options for addressing the bus replacement line and for prioritizing projects if revenues remain constrained.
