2016-03-21-AC-STM3-rpt - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE- STM 2016 -3 Special Town Meeting 2016 -3 Analysis and Recommendations The Warrant for Special Town Meeting 2016 -3 contains two Articles with financial implications for the Town. This Special Town Meeting will allow the Town to proceed quickly with a debt exclusion referen- dum, and to begin the Middle Schools projects under a schedule that is coordinated with the school year. Article 2016 -3.2: Appropriate for Middle Schools — Additions and Remodeling Funds Requested Funding Source Committee Recommendation $62,196,247 GF Debt (excluded debt) Approve (9 -0) This article seeks Town Meeting authorization to borrow $62,196, 247 to fund renovations and additions to Clarke and Diamond Middle Schools. These projects are the first in an expected series of school con- struction projects intended to increase school capacity system -wide and thereby help alleviate overcrowd- ing resulting from a recent trend of significant enrollment growth. A town -wide referendum in the spring of 2016 will request approval of the use of excluded debt to fund the full cost of the middle school renovations. The referendum would also cover previous appropriations totaling approximately $4.5 million in borrowing for design work already in progress (see below). Responding to Enrollment Growth in Lexington Public Schools Student enrollment in Lexington Public Schools (LPS) K -12 has increased from 6,114 students in 2009 to 6,866 in the fall of 2015. Growth is occurring at every level, including preschool, and is projected to con- tinue until at least school year 2020 -21 (FY2021), when the total student population is projected to reach about 7,478. In addition to the middle school projects, 6 modular classrooms (funded under Article 2 of the November 2015 Special Town Meeting #1) will be installed at three elementary schools in late 2016, and the MSBA - supported project to build a new Hastings Elementary School is targeted for completion in the fall of 2019. Future enrollment growth may require additional capital investment for increased elementary school ca- pacity, a new or expanded preschool, and a new or renovated high school. The Clarke and Diamond Middle School projects will modify existing space and add additional space to accommodate rising student populations. Enrollment at the middle school level has been growing since FY2010, and it is reasonable to assume that the growth will continue for at least a few more years. Thus, LPS projections of the middle school enrollments based on recent history include continuing growth at least through FY2021. The School Committee has chosen a target total capacity for the middle schools of 1,830 students. This number was the midpoint of enrollment projections for FY2020 (school year 2019- 20) developed by the Enrollment Working Group in 2014. Lexington's middle school students are divided into "teams" of students, and each team has dedicated core subject teachers. Presently, the two middle schools together have capacity for 18.5 teams, but contain 19 teams' worth of students, with overcrowding more severe at Clarke. With large classes of sixth- graders coming in the fall of 2016, there is an urgent need for additional space. These construction and renovation projects will create capacity for three additional teams across both middle schools, increasing capacity to 21.5 teams with 86 students per team, or 1849 students. 2