Board approves five-year capital plan and authorizes up to $8 million in bonds to fund roofs and IT projects

The Chester County Board of School Trustees approved a five-year capital improvement plan and unanimously authorized a bond resolution that would allow the district to issue bonds not to exceed $8,000,000 to fund school projects, the board said at a special July 2025 meeting.

Chair (Speaker 1) described the CIP priorities as roofing, gutters, plumbing and safety-related capital improvements and said the board had reviewed the plan at a workshop held a few weeks earlier. Reading a written opinion, the chair said Garland Roofing concluded the Chester High School roof presented a risk of major water intrusion and "possible roof collapse" if not addressed, and "strongly urge[d] Chester County School District to pursue a full roof replacement without delay." The board reported a roof-only estimate for Chester High School of $6,250,000, with the work split into three phases across two fiscal years and phase one beginning immediately with an estimated 2026 completion for the first phase.

The chair said the bond resolution would "authorize the school district to take out bonds not to exceed $8,000,000" and that the district would work with the county to determine the issuance amount while holding the millage at 48 mills, meaning the district did not plan a millage increase. She also said a $480,000 long-term debt loan would be retired from bond proceeds, after which long-term debt the district is responsible for would be eliminated and future issuances could be applied entirely to capital projects.

The board listed projects proposed for bond funding including Chester High School and Great Falls High School roofs and a technology/IT refresh, and said $6,100,000 of work would be covered by the bond issuance if approved. Chair (Speaker 1) also listed additional projects funded from existing capital improvement funds totaling $5,045,000 and described proposed general-fund transfers (she cited $1.6 million from prior undesignated funds and $1.5 million for the current year) that the district said would be used in part to offset capital spending. Trustee (Speaker 3) moved to approve the CIP as presented and the board voted to approve it unanimously; Trustee (Speaker 2) moved to accept the bond resolution and the vote to approve the resolution was unanimous.

The board invited its bond attorney, Franny, to answer questions and indicated that the exact bond issuance amount would be determined in consultation with the county based on revenues at the current millage rate. The meeting transcript contains a garbled numeric line in one place; the board's stated roof estimate of $6,250,000 and the bond authorization of up to $8,000,000 are reflected elsewhere in the record. The board did not at the meeting present a detailed repayment schedule or a final millage calculation.