New Kent boards convene to address 2015-16 CIP, budget

In order to understand viewpoints and discuss strategies for the upcoming budget season, members from New Kent’s School Board and the county’s Board of Supervisors met during a joint session Wednesday evening to grasp the task of addressing Capital Improvement Plans (CIP).

Evaluating the upcoming budget and future goals, each side had an opportunity to explain its stance during the hour and a half long meeting.

New Kent superintendent of schools David Myers opened dialogue, referencing three key goals the school system is aiming for in the FY2015-16 cycle.

“We definitely want the county leaders to see the enrollment projections for the upcoming years,” he said. “As you can see, it is expected that the elementary schools will see a spike in numbers within the next two years and those numbers will impact New Kent Middle School down the line.”

Myers reiterated talks between him and county administrator Rodney Hathaway from earlier meetings, indicating studies show that more than 700 students will populate both elementary schools in the near future. A projected enrollment of 800 students at the middle school is expected to enter doors by FY2018-19.

“While we aren’t asking for money for ‘learning cottages’ next year, we will need them down the road,” added the superintendent concering trailers.

District 1 supervisor Thomas Evelyn, who attended the meeting with Hathaway, Myers, and then school board chairwoman Leigh Quick, expressed concern about the middle school’s capacity.

“I know that when that school was originally built, we had an option of expanding it,” said Evelyn. “According to the schools, they are paying $80,000-$100,000 to add each trailer and I think we can use that money to apply it to expansion if we have to do that. It’s something we need to think about.”

Myers said while the enrollment spike is modest, all projections were based on a moderate increase. That projection, however, also helped transition into two other goals for the schools. The superintendent said digitalized textbooks may become a valuable asset in the future.

“Computers and technology have become a very important tool in how our teachers teach, how our students research a topic, and how they present that information,” Myers said, commenting how access to computer labs has become more common in a teacher’s educational plan.

“We are very limited to do those things when we don’t have the tools or software.”

The superintendent wrapped up his final goal focusing on increasing enrollment at Bridging Communities Career and Technical Center, something District 5 school board member Gail Hardinge said opened doors for students.

“We had a six-hour work session with other school divisions brainstorming ideas of how to get them more interested,” said Hardinge. “We want to push the idea that BCCTC is not just for students who want to go to college, but it also gives students the opportunity to become career-ready as well.”

With the schools’ presentation complete, Hathaway and supervisors’ financial consultant Ted Cole presented documents on the county’s existing tax supported debt profile. Currently, the debt is $54,531,749. Of that amount, $48,285,804 is debt from the construction of New Kent High School, with the remaining $6,245,945 other county debt.

And while that debt is expected to be paid off by 2029, that number may go up if the county reaches an agreement to join the regional radio grid project. Supervisors agreed to join the grid in October, but talks have slowed through contract negotiations. Current cost for the radio project is $6,695,000. If the board agrees to join, an estimated $4,907,000 would be borrowed after a $1.5 million down-payment. The end result (including 13 years of maintenance fees at $211,560/year), would bring the total debt to $80,790,000. That debt would be paid off by 2029, but would require the repurposing of one cent (repurposed from the Historic School project), and a one cent tax increase in FY2016-17 and again in FY2019-20.

Overall, both sides agreed that there will be some give and take during the budget process.

“This is probably one of the tightest CIP projects I have seen in years,” said Hathaway.

“This year, the goal is to change the way the CIP and budget presentation looks so the public can see how important it is and where we want to go,” he added.

Hathaway said he expects to have a draft version of the CIP ready for county supervisors by next week.

School officials are expected to get their first glance of the schools’ FY2015-16 budget during a Feb. 2 work session prior to the school board’s regular meeting.