Schools
School Board to Consider Sending Construction Plans to the State
The Neshaminy School Board will consider approving initial plans to send to the state in hopes of receiving funding for construction.
During the Neshaminy School Board's meeting tonight, the board will consider approving sending initial construction plans to the state in order to receive $3.8 million in funding.
This decision was Board President Ritchie Webb voted against the motion, but not because he disapproved of the plan.
"I’m all for doing something, we need to do something...but this hasn’t been vetted to the public," Webb said in the board's Aug. 28 meeting. He added that if the situation had been different and the plan had been vetted to the public, he would have supported it last night.
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However, Oettinger, who heads up the Facilities Ad Hoc committee, said that the board has been transparent about this issue and that his committee has been discussing consolidation and construction plans for that past two years.
The Facilities Ad Hoc Committee met to discuss the plans again Monday, Sept. 10.
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The school board has until the end of September to submit an application to the state to receive the approximate $3.8 million in state funding, which would awarded to the district over a period of 20 to 30 years.
Should the board approve the motion tonight, it would not lock the school district into any construction, contractors or close any specific schools, board member Mark Shubin said in the last meeting.
Though the McKissick Associates' plan identified schools that could be closed and consolidated in the district, the district would have to hold hearings to close buildings.
In addition, acting superintendent Jacqueline Rattigan said that certain schools could be closed, the whole district would be redistricted and students could change schools even if their current school wasn't closed.
Oettinger said that the plans that could be sent to the state would call for a new elementary school being built at the .
Click here to view the full agenda for tonight's meeting.
Do you think the district should move forward with building a new elementary school and close some of its existing schools? Vote in the poll below.
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