Coatesville district details $96.2 million North Brandywine Middle School plan; Act 34 cost set at $57.5 million

Doctor Rybarczyk opened an Act 34 hearing Feb. 24 to present the Coatesville Area School District’s proposal to build a new North Brandywine Middle School and to solicit public comment.

The district’s architect, David Schrader, described a two-story, roughly 138,000-square-foot building that would house sixth through eighth grades in teaming clusters and include a media center, dining space, auditorium and gym. Schrader said floor plans were omitted from public materials for security but that renderings and a site plan were shown to the audience, including a separated parent and bus drop-off and new on-site parking.

Schrader outlined the PlanCon cost derivation used in Pennsylvania: an estimated hard construction cost of $67,509,456, a total project cost of $96,202,044 and a site cost of $9,511,482, which produced an advertised Act 34 construction cost of $57,522,490. He noted two state caps that can trigger additional hearings: an 8% cap on Act 34 building construction cost and an aggregate building expenditure cap calculated for this project as $61,391,520; the project’s Act 34 cost was reported as below that aggregate cap.

Michael Lillies of RBC Capital Markets, the district’s bond underwriter, said the district analyzed financing options and recommended a general-obligation bond as the most cost-effective method. Lillies reported an indicative bond size in the neighborhood of $90.97 million, an estimated average annual debt service of about $8.728 million and a 20-year repayment model. The financing schedules presented project annual millage increases of about 0.57 mills for each of the fiscal years 2027–2031; Lillies said the median taxpayer (assessed value shown as $122,850) could expect an annual increase of roughly $70.70 (about $5.80 per month) while the millage increases are in effect.

District officials emphasized these cost figures are estimates; bids have not yet been received and the district will publish final numbers after procurement. Justin Barbetta, the district solicitor, and staff marked the public packet as exhibits and said the written public comment window would remain open for 30 days and that written comments must be received by 4:30 p.m. on March 26, 2026.

The hearing was adjourned and the board called its regular meeting to order. No formal vote to adopt the project occurred at the hearing; rather, the Act 34 presentation and the financing overview were presented and the record kept open for public comment.

Next steps: the district will proceed to bidding and revisit costs if bids exceed the advertised Act 34 amount by the 8% threshold that would legally require another public hearing.