Board considers converting existing buildings to reduce high‑school addition costs; timing and redistricting cited as hurdles

Summary

Board members discussed a proposal to convert existing district buildings (Tohicken to a high school, Groveland to a middle school) as an alternative to multimillion‑dollar high‑school additions; the idea could reduce construction costs but would likely delay realignment and require district‑wide redistricting studies.

The Central Bucks School District board discussed an alternative proposal Feb. 20 that would use existing buildings to accommodate ninth‑grade realignment instead of building multi‑million‑dollar additions at the three high schools.

Board member Mr. Kimikata framed the idea as a cost‑saving and space‑efficiency exercise. He said the district is planning several capital projects, including high school realignment estimated at $45 million–$50 million for additions, an “update the 8” elementary project estimated at $240 million and a 5.6‑million dollar addition at Mill Creek. Kimikata said the district’s combined functional capacity is about 22,000 students; applying the district’s 85% utilization target yields roughly 19,000 functional slots while current enrollment is just under 17,000 — a buffer of about 2,000 seats on paper.

Kimikata’s proposal…

Board considers converting existing buildings to reduce high‑school addition costs; timing and redistricting cited as hurdles

Summary

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