The additions will not only be under budget, but also completed early.
By: Rebecca Tokarz
The addition to South Brunswick High School will be completed two months early and $345,162 under budget, school officials said this week.
Seacoast, the contractor that constructed Brooks Crossing Elementary School, is completing outside landscaping and some odds and ends on the inside of the structure, Assistant Superintendent for Business Jeff Scott said.
The 120,000-square-foot addition is now scheduled to be completed by June 1, two months ahead of schedule, according to Mr. Scott.
The expansion will accommodate 800 additional high school students and will be furnished and ready for the start of school in September, he said.
"I had the chance to walk through the building a couple of weeks ago and it’s wonderful. It’s a complete high school facility for 800 students," Superintendent Sam Stewart said. "It’s a tremendous improvement to the education offered at the high school."
The high school addition was part of the $46.99 million school expansion approved by voters in 1999. In addition to the high school wing, it included construction of Brooks Crossing, renovations to the Upper Elementary School on Georges Road to convert it into Crossroads North Middle School and upgrades at what is now called Crossroads South Middle School on Major Road.
Since 1991, enrollment in the district has more than doubled in size growing from 3,960 students to a projected 8,512 students come September, an increase of 4,552 students or 115 percent, Mr. Scott said.
There are currently 2,189 students at the high school and the district expects 2,355 to be educated in the building come September, Mr. Scott said.
With construction ahead of schedule and costs less than anticipated, the district expects to save $345,162 on the project. The current cost of the expansion is $17.34 million compared to the originally estimated $17.68 million, Mr. Scott said.
Mr. Scott said the district will receive debt service aid from the state for the addition for the next 25 years for work done under the 1999 referendum. South Brunswick received an additional $500,000 in debt service aid for 2002-2003 because of construction projects.
The district expects to spend $250,052 in supplies next year for the new addition and $568,000 for salaries for the hiring of 30 new staff positions, including six regular classroom teachers, two instructors for art, music and physical education, two special education teachers and two additional guidance counselors.
Administratively, three secretaries will be added, in addition to four custodians, seven paraprofessionals, two cleaners and one athletic trainer.

