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Jefferson County Schools

PO Box 987

Charles Town WV 25414

(304) 725-9741

(304) 728-9274 Fax

 

July 9, 2002

 

Honorable Randolph Hilton

Mayor of Charles Town

Charles Town, WV 25414

 

Dear Mayor Hilton:

 

At the direction of the Jefferson County Board of Education at its July 2, 2002 meeting, we are writing to request that the City defer final results of the six-month Fiscal Impact review that the City is doing concerning the newly annexed lands of Huntfield and Norborne Glebe. We would like to conduct proper due diligence to determine the full impact of the developments on the Jefferson County Public Schools.

 

We also request time on the Council’s agenda on Monday, July 15 to discuss this request. We very much appreciate the City’s decision to undertake this Fiscal Impact review, and we want to provide the most complete possible information from the school system. We would like to start a dialogue with the City to ensure accurate information.

 

The extra time needed will not be long, probably no more than a month. Construction cost estimates are already available from the School Building Authority of West Virginia (SBA), as shown in the table below. The  ratio of children to housing units (1877/3200 = .58) is available from page 11 of the A Fiscal Impact Study by Dr Steven Fuller and Dean Bellas, November 2001. We recognize this figure may change, depending on the developers’ marketing plans.

 

Grades:

K-5

6-8

9-12

Sources of Data

Typical capacity of schools

412

504

1,200

K-8 sizes: average program capacity of JCPS buildings; high school size: economic development proposal

Square feet per student

95

145

150

SBA

Construction cost per square foot

$114

$130

$128

SBA

Construction cost per student

$10,830

$18,850

$19,200

multiply previous 2 rows

Projected enrollment from 3,200+1,400 homes

1,302

661

736

ratio of school enrollment to homes, from p.11 of Fuller; grade levels from JCPS

Schools needed for this enroll­ment level

3.16

1.31

0.75

divide enrollment by building size

Construction cost for these build­ings (millions)

$14.1

$12.5

$14.1

multiply enrollment by cost per student

 

In the extra time requested, we will project land and equipment costs, which are not included above, and review the Fuller and Bellas estimates of impacts on operating costs. We will also project credits for the capital contributions from these developments.

 

We look forward to talking, learning, and sharing information as we work together to ensure quality schools in Jefferson County.

 

Sincerely,

 

Dr. Steven Nichols, Superintendent Jefferson County Schools

 

Dr. Lori Stilley, President Jefferson County Board of Education