Charter school construction costs questioned

MAT-SU -- Should Mat-Su taxpayers be asked to spend $50,000 per student to build new facilities for two charter schools?

With an $80-million bond proposal on the table, that was the question several Mat-Su Borough Assembly and school board members were asking at a joint meeting last week. Mat-Su has the bonding capacity to take on the debt, according to borough officials, with the state reimbursing 60 or 70 percent of the cost depending on the project. But the question remained whether or not Valley voters would be willing to shoulder the resulting nearly 1-mill increase to their property taxes.

Assembly and school board members seemed to be

particularly concerned about the cost for two charter schools.

"It is a big deal … It is cutting edge. We would be the first in the state to build a facility for a charter school," school board member Rob Wells said.

Among the more than dozen construction projects on the proposed list to go before voters April 1 are new facilities for The Academy and Midnight Sun Family Learning Center. Each building would cost around $8 million, and The Academy would house around 230 students while Midnight Sun would be built for about 150 -- equating to a $37,000 and $53,000 per-student cost respectively.

"Isn't there concern … just about the cost-effectiveness?" Assemblyman Talis Colberg asked. "When we're having money problems already, we're building lots of small schools?"

School district administrators admitted economy of scale comes into play, and building larger schools for more students is more cost-effective. At the same time, they explained that the small-school format is part of the charter schools approach, but there are basic size requirements for a facility. For example, a gymnasium for 500 students is the same size as a gymnasium for 100 students.

Currently, Midnight Sun is currently housed in a strip mall north of Wasilla with a nearly $40,000 annual lease. However, the school is in the process of expanding to 150 students, and if Midnight Sun remained in its current facility it would require a $175,000 remodel and the annual lease would increase to $85,000.

The Academy is housed in portables in Palmer with no annual lease.

Cost aside, at least one school board member indicated new facilities are in order for the two charter schools.

"Small schools are different, but children need to be housed adequately," board member Bob Johnson said. "… Portables are not adequate and store-front buildings are not adequate."

Some, however, have questioned whether it is wise to build a permanent facility for a charter school, which operates on a several-year contract with the district. What happens if the charter school fails or ceases to exist? Interim Superintendent Bob Doyle pointed out that The Academy and Midnight Sun have gone through a period of evaluation and review both at the state and local level, and that he expected the school board might extend 10-year contracts to the two charters.

"We believe they're here to stay for the long term," Doyle said.

No one at the meeting seemed to question the schools' commitment to their students or their success in recent years, with several assembly and school board members speaking highly of the charters' efforts. It was unclear, however if these successes were enough to back $16 million worth of construction.

"I understand we can justify it," school board member Carl Gatto said. "I'm just not so sure we can get voters to say 'Yep.'"

The two charter schools were not the only focus of attention at the meeting. Assembly members also asked the district for more information about the two most expensive projects on the list -- a $19 million career center and a $12 million nutrition services facility and resulting $4 million remodel of Iditarod Elementary, where the central kitchen is now housed.

"I'm interested in seeing the not-so-brief details of the projects," Assemblywoman Sara Jansen said. "You're asking us to put $81 million on the ballot."

In addition to these projects, the proposed bond would include a a $12 million new Wasilla-area elementary, a $12 million new Palmer-area elementary and $1 million for the second phase of construction at Valley Pathways, all of which the state would reimburse 60 percent of the cost.

The state would reimburse 70 percent of the remaining bond items -- a $3.5 million remodel of the old Sherrod Elementary into an administration building and $2.1 million in maintenance work such as sprinklers at Palmer Jr. Middle School, fire alarms at several schools, siding and doors at Big Lake Elementary and ventilation improvements at Colony High.

All these projects would result in a total increase to the mill rate of around 0.8.

The assembly is expected to introduce the bond at its Jan. 7 meeting and offer it for public hearing Jan. 14.