Suffolk leaders disagree on new buildings

SUFFOLK

City and school division leaders essentially agreed to disagree Wednesday over disparities in their  10-year capital improvement plans.

The School Board’s plan, approved in October, calls for $21.5 million for a new elementary school in the city’s southern end and $51.4 million for a new middle school. A city draft proposes building the two for far less – $16 million (not including $1.5 million in prior funding) and $32.4 million, respectively.

Budget director Anne Seward said the city calculated its figures using school construction costs published on the state education department Web site. Schools Superintendent Milton Liverman said the division considers those numbers and takes into account other local information.

School division estimates also include funding for some upgraded features, such as terrazzo flooring and a pitched roof. They cost more on the front end but will save money in the long run, Liverman said during Wednesday’s joint School Board-City Council work session. “The proof will be when we get the bid numbers,” he said. “We can have an extended discussion about methodologies and never come to an agreement.”

“It’s about finding a win-win for all of us,” City Manager Selena Cuffee-Glenn later added.

The elementary building in question will be a replacement for Robertson and Southwestern elementary schools, which are slated for closure. To save money, it will be similar to either Creekside or Hillpoint, the two newest elementary schools in the city, Liverman said. The design might change slightly if a  recreation center is added.

The city’s capital improvements draft also recommends either moving up the renovation and expansion of John Yeates Middle or using that site for the new middle school to save on land acquisition costs. Liverman said that’s something the School Board will have to consider.

 Liverman also told council members during the joint meeting that he was “almost clueless” about the division’s budget situation for the next school year because of the change in governorship. Under outgoing Gov. Timothy M. Kaine’s proposal, the division would lose up to $2.5 million for 2010-11 and about $7 million the following fiscal year.

To balance next school year’s budget, the board might need to reduce the number of assistant principals at all levels, eliminate other positions through attrition and cut the preschool program for 4-year-olds, Liverman said. “I don’t want to paint either too rosy or too scary a scenario,” he said.

Hattie Brown Garrow, (757) 222-5562, hattie.brown@pilotonline.com