Carlisle Area School District plans to host the first of four public forums this Thursday to receive input on the latest developments in its initiative to reconfigure grades K-8.
During a school board meeting last week, Superintendent Colleen Friend recommended a shift in the focus of the analysis to a single model that could result in the construction of a building for grades 7-8 on the site of the recently demolished Old Bellaire Elementary School.
The board will have to weigh the merits of that potential site with building a new school on district property along the Turnpike. A final recommendation from the administration is expected this summer, followed by a possible board vote.
Friend recommended the district move away from any further analysis of the status quo and Model 9 in favor of Model 6. Estimated at $106 million to $113 million, Model 9 would involve the construction of a 4-6 school at the Old Bellaire site, along with additions and renovations to Mooreland and Bellaire elementary schools.
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“We have done everything we can with three models on the table,” Friend told the board. “To dig in now, we need to be focused on one model.”
She said Model 6, which involves the 7-8 building, is the best fit to solve future enrollment challenges and to sustain the district in the long term. It would also be the least disruptive for students and day-to-day operations, Friend said.
What’s next
The first public forum is scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday at Wilson Middle School. This will be followed by a second in-person forum at 6 p.m. April 24 at Lamberton Middle School. Two virtual meetings have been scheduled for 9 a.m. April 29 and 5 p.m. May 1.
Last week, the board heard a detailed presentation on the K-8 initiative by administrators, review committee members and representatives from Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates, the architectural firm the district hired as a consultant. That presentation can be seen online on YouTube.
In May, the board plans to meet with a consultant to discuss a strategy on how to finance the estimated $88 million to $94 million cost of Model 6.
In the lead-up to the final recommendation, the review committee of educators, parents and community members will undertake a more focused analysis of how Model 6 could affect staffing, programming, transportation and the attendance areas that would likely result in redistricting.
Carlisle operates seven K-5 elementary schools, two 6-8 middle schools and a 9-12 high school. Model 6 would depart from that by adding a new layer of grade levels in the form of five K-3 elementary schools, two 4-6 elementary schools, the new 7-8 middle school building and Carlisle High School.
The committee plans to send out teams to conduct site visits of other school districts that have a K-3, 4-6 and 7-8 configuration, Friend said.
Board approval of Model 6 would trigger a planning period of nine to 12 months, during which the administration could develop a process to close LeTort and Mount Holly Springs elementary schools and transition those students to other buildings.
During that period, Crabtree Rohrbaugh would prepare the final design of the new building and move the plan through the municipal review process. It’s only when those steps are complete that the district can break ground on the new building. By this timeline, the new school could open in 2026-27.
Modified Model 6
The initial plan for Model 6 was to build the 7-8 school on district property along the Turnpike and adjacent to the high school campus. The 225,000-square-foot building would have a capacity of about 1,000 students and cost the district between $84 million and $86.7 million. Model 6 would also involve modifying both middle schools into 4-6 at an estimated cost of $2 million to $3 million each, based on the latest cost figures.
During a follow-up review of Model 6, Crabtree Rohrbaugh determined that, with some modifications, the footprint of a 7-8 building could fit within the now-vacant lot and adjoining land of the recently demolished Old Bellaire school. This could yield savings to the district of at least $2 million to $4 million, said John Beddia, director of operations for the architectural firm.
Re-developing the Old Bellaire site would cost less in site work because there is already transportation access and utilities running to the vacant lot, Beddia said. It would provide for a better continuity of the education program because a school on the Old Bellaire site would be located adjacent to Carlisle High School, he said.
To modify the footprint to fit the site would require the removal of the auditorium from the 7-8 design, along with all the supporting spaces for that auditorium, Beddia said. “You can still have the same educational program.”
Carlisle High School has two auditoriums, one at the Swartz building and one at the McGowan building.
“There are a lot of unknowns on the Turnpike site,” Beddia said. “Traffic concerns us. With a school of that size, it’s going to be problematic. There’s a significant amount of sitework. There are no utilities to handle the capacity of that building.”
School board member Rick Coplen said noise from the Turnpike would require that a that a sound barrier be built along the highway. There is also the security threat of someone using the highway to arrive at the scene, harm students and staff, and escape before the arrival of law enforcement, he said.