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School board hears K–8 consolidation plan; presenters give $112M–$142M cost range and referendum options
Summary
Presenters showed a proposed consolidated K–8 campus for roughly 1,500–1,700 students, estimated construction and renovation costs (roughly $112M–$142M depending on the option) and advised the board on referendum timing and messaging for roughly $120M of borrowing that, presenters said, could be structured without a millage increase.
Presenters at a school board meeting outlined a proposal to build a consolidated K–8 campus to ease overcrowding and offered preliminary cost and financing scenarios.
The design team presented a footprint sized for about 1,500–1,700 students and argued shared facilities — one kitchen, one media center and a single administrative core — would create sizable savings. "You're saving that cost on kitchens, on drives, saving on media center and other areas that we gain that economy out of," said Presenter S1.
Why it matters: board members said several neighborhood schools are at or near capacity, and the proposed K–8 could redraw attendance zones and relieve pressure at multiple schools. Presenters estimated the consolidated model could reduce construction costs by an estimated 10–20% compared with building two separate schools.
Cost estimates and assumptions A cost presenter gave ballpark figures for several scenarios. "If we did a new middle school ... hard cost would be about $72,000,000 plus another $10,000,000 for…
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