The Plan: A multi-stage plan to address our District’s most critical needs
For the past four years, the District has been preparing for future growth by developing a long-range facility plan.
The School Board decided a staged investment plan over the next decade, rather than trying to tackle everything at once, as the most responsible and beneficial plan for our District and communities. The plan allows the District to continue to deliver high-quality educational programming while addressing current needs and preparing for future needs.
An additional elementary school in Edgmont Township will address our District’s growing enrollment
The School Board evaluated numerous options on how to best address our District’s needs. The Board approved the first stage in the long-range facilities plan — building a new elementary school on new land — on September 24, 2020.
After vetting 23 potential sites for the new elementary school, the location near 1501 Middletown Road, Glen Mills, PA was selected because it best fit the criteria the School Board used to evaluate sites.
The District is currently working in coordination with Edgmont Township to ensure the new school meets community educational needs, technical requirements, and furthers the Township’s overall planning goals.
Edgmont Township land purchased for new school
Location of new school in proximity to existing facilities
Benefits of a new elementary school:
Addresses the most critical needs:
Addresses the most critical need now — space in elementary schools — which will preserve class sizes and grade configuration of our current neighborhood schools. This new elementary school could also absorb future growth unforeseen in the current demographic projections.
Preserves flexibility:
The School Board will continue to track enrollment and building needs and adjust the plan accordingly.
Less disruption to transportation:
Purchasing new land will provide less disruption for transportation and limit possible redistricting. It will also provide adequate space for a field, parking, traffic flow, and larger core spaces for future growth.
Potential for full-day kindergarten:
Accommodate a future full-day kindergarten decision.
Neighborhood schools remain intact:
Maintains the “neighborhood school” concept and existing community fields.
Transportation to the new elementary school
Since the property was selected with consideration to where current students reside and where enrollment growth is expected, the new location greatly improves the time students spend in transit and minimizes the number of students that would need to be redistricted.
A majority of the students attending the new school will come from new developments in the Edgmont Township, resulting in a minimal amount of students with attendance boundaries changes. Those students that do see their attendance boundaries change will now spend less time on buses as their elementary school will generally be closer to their homes.
Many facets, like impact on the student population, busing routes, and travel time will be evaluated when deciding on boundary changes. This step will be completed in the future in preparation for the opening of the new school. Once the Design Phase is completed, the potential occupancy date of the new elementary school will be determined.
The District will keep residents informed about changing boundaries throughout the process via official District communications channels.
Safety at the new elementary school site
The District looked carefully at options for the location of the new elementary school, beginning with 23 possible sites and eventually deciding on the current site in Edgmont Township. The District worked with engineers and other experts in selecting the site for the new school and continues to work with these experts to ensure the selected site meets standards for safety and educational excellence.
As with any development in this portion of the state, utility infrastructure (and specifically pipelines) are part of the planning for the design of a school. District leadership continues to rely on official government studies, data, and independent recommendations to make informed decisions related to utility infrastructure throughout the District.
Pipelines used to transport various materials exist across Delaware County. Many homes and businesses have been built near existing pipelines, including the Mariner East 2 pipeline and natural gas pipelines. The School Board and administration were mindful of these pipelines and the process included a thorough review of research, regulatory data and studies, and the regulatory approval process during the site selection process. Pipeline mapping indicated that a right-of-way for a Texas East pipeline was at the outer edge of the proposed site. A detailed encroachment survey completed on November 16th shows that this Texas East pipeline crosses the outermost edge of two northeast corners of the new school property. The pipeline exclusively carries compressed natural gas, which is used for heating and cooking.
After extensive analysis, the District concluded that the location chosen for the new elementary school meets modern safety standards for development near pipelines. No school site can ever be characterized as risk-free, as both natural disasters and the unfortunate actions of people are concerns whenever large numbers gather for daily activities. Consequently, the District will continue to have all-hazard plans in place for each school for a variety of emergency situations, including those specific to pipeline hazards.
Additional information can be found on our Frequently Asked Questions page.
The cost of the project
It’s important for our District to thoroughly and transparently communicate how this plan will be funded. The District has been budgeting and planning for this expense over several years. We are pleased to say that the School Board has adopted a budget for the construction of the new elementary school that falls within the state’s annual budget limits on school districts.
In Pennsylvania, school districts have an annual cap on the amount of property taxes they can raise from local property owners. This funding can be used by school boards for both operating expenditures and capital debt (for example, building improvements), with those boards determining how to allocate the funds.
$21 million, or roughly 60% of the cost of the construction, will be paid for by bonds already issued by the District in 2018 for capital projects. This is already accounted for in the District’s budget.
The District will borrow the additional funds needed to complete the new elementary school, as well as fund other capital projects that will be implemented between now and 2026.
The additional debt needed to complete the elementary school requires an estimated $7 per month more of the average residential tax bill to be allocated to debt service. For clarity, this essentially shifts resources from operational expenses to debt service.
This investment will address the need for additional classroom space for growing enrollment and help maintain the neighborhood school model of Rose Tree Media. Based on input from staff and local residents, a new elementary is a high priority for the District and an important step in sustaining the quality of learning that has made Rose Tree Media one of the most respected school districts in Pennsylvania.
Option 1 Estimated Construction Costs