Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Construction topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
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 soft cost," said Cost estimator S4. He added a comparable elementary estimate of about $52,000,000 hard plus $7,000,000 soft, meaning two separate new schools could total roughly $142,000,000. For a single K–8 new build, the presenter said the team’s estimate was about $112,000,000 in hard costs plus roughly $16,000,000 in soft costs (about $128,000,000 all-in) as a planning number.
The presenters explained the per-square-foot assumptions behind those totals: current market hard-building rates cited ranged from roughly $140 per square foot for elementary building square footage to about $330 per square foot for a new middle school hard cost; site work, off-site allowances and owner contingencies were called out as material add-ons that can push all-in estimates substantially higher.
Operations and logistics Board members asked how dismissal and drop-off would work if elementary and middle grades shared a campus. Presenters described staggered dismissals and holding areas designed so parents would not need to make two separate drop-offs. "They compressed the dismissals so they were pretty much within close time where parents aren't making two drop offs," one committee member said (Committee member S3).
Financing and referendum guidance A financial presenter advised the board on borrowing options and referendum sizing. "You could do a referendum for about $120,000,000, on a very conservative basis," said Financial advisor representative S2, adding that the district could still retain annual capital issuance to cover ongoing maintenance and other smaller projects.
The same presenter recommended the board consider a short-term bond authorization to preserve options: he said a resolution could be drafted for the next board meeting to authorize a "not to exceed $20,000,000" bond issuance to be used as circumstances warrant.
Legal constraints and timeline Legal counsel reviewed procedural limits around referenda and campaign communications, noting a minimum 90-day window between adopting a resolution and holding a referendum and that certain filing deadlines fall in mid-August. "We need a minimum of 90 days between the time you adopt a resolution and the date of the referendum," said Legal counsel S6, noting that because Aug. 15 falls on a Saturday this year the practical filing deadline in the handout was listed as 08/17/2026. Counsel told board members factual, nonadvocative information may be published by the district before a resolution is adopted, but once the board adopts a referendum resolution district resources cannot be used to advocate for a particular result.
Board direction and next steps Board members asked the presenters to refine the numbers. The presenters said they would finalize and distribute pricing and packet materials after collecting feedback from the board. The meeting closed with a motion to adjourn and no further formal actions on the proposal were recorded.
What happens next: presenters will provide detailed cost breakdowns for review; the board may consider a draft resolution and timing for a referendum at upcoming meetings.
