Officials, professionals examining proposal to see if costs still can be trimmed.
By: Mark Moffa
WASHINGTON Board of Education President Michele Siekerka said the school board rejected a proposal last week to trim $7.4 million off the cost of a proposed $51.8 million high school, fearing the cuts would jeopardize the school’s curricular goals.
School district Business Administrator Chris Mullins reported earlier this month the board was considering a proposal to reduce the school’s cost to $44.4 million.
"That number represented a proposed plan the board was not interested in, considering that it would adversely affect the educational program," Ms. Siekerka said Friday.
She said the board is waiting to see if its experts can come up with a revised plan that would save money yet not affect "excellence in education." She said the cost may not decrease.
Ms. Siekerka would not comment on specifics of the $44.4 million proposal. Mr. Mullins previously said the plan would have reduced the size of some facilities while eliminating other rooms altogether.
The experts looking at the plans are architect Scott Spiezle, educational specification consultant Judy Ferguson, consultants from the public relations firm ie communications, and representatives from the construction management firm Bovis Land Lease.
The proposed high school would be adjacent to the middle school site, behind Ostrich Nursery, fronting on Robbinsville-Edinburg Road.
Currently, Washington’s high school students attend Lawrence High School under a sending-receiving relationship that will expire in 2005. Enrollment growth has led to the high school proposal. Washington expects to have 922 high school students by 2011.
At a board meeting Sept. 10, the district announced a ballot question for voters to approve the high school, originally scheduled for December, would be put off until January.
According to Ms. Siekerka, the Lawrence School District would like to sever its relationship with Washington even if Washington’s voters do not approve the high school. Washington’s school board only wants to end the agreement if the referendum passes.
Ms. Siekerka said at the Sept. 10 meeting that the state Department of Education will not approve Washington’s project until the legal matter with Lawrence is resolved. She said an administrative law judge was being assigned to the case.
"It’s important that the community knows the delay is as a result of that process," Ms. Siekerka said. "We’re doing everything we can do to expedite that process."
Ms. Siekerka said the school board plans to ask the judge to allow its referendum to go to the voters before a decision is made in the case with Lawrence. Ms. Siekerka, a lawyer, said there is little legal precedent for the situation.
"Rarely does a district look to sever without having an alternative available if the referendum fails," she said. "It’s really new ground that we’re treading on."

