Plum School Board eyes upgrading 3 schools, but budget might only allow for 1

The Plum School Board is reviewing details of possible renovations and additions at three schools, but it might only be able to afford work at one of them because of a limit on how much the district can borrow.

Some of the work is aimed at giving the district space at its K-4 schools, O’Block and Pivik, to bring back full-day kindergarten.

“Both O’Block and Pivik Elementary Schools are near capacity. To consider any additional program enhancements, the capacity of the buildings needs to be addressed,” Superintendent Rick Walsh said. “The goal is to continue to house kindergarten at O’Block and Pivik Elementary.”

Hayes Design Group recently presented the board with a recommended $28.2 million project at O’Block.

It includes a 17,000-square-foot addition with five classrooms, two specialized classrooms, a collaborative or flexible classroom, a learning support room, and a sensory room. There also would be improvements to other areas of the building and the site, improved flow of buses and cars and additional parking and play areas.

The firm also has presented the district with plans for additions and renovations to Plum Middle School that would cost about $38.8 million and new construction and renovations at Pivik Elementary School totaling about $1.5 million.

Price exceeds borrowing limit

The cost for the work at all three schools adds up to about $68.5 million. Included in that are costs increasing as time passes, with about $2.4 million added to 2024 and another $2.6 million to 2025.

However, the district’s budget is $30 million to $35 million, based on how much it can borrow at this time.

Ryan Manzer, the district’s chief financial officer, said the district would prioritize O’Block. Board member Michelle Stepnick objected when he suggested the district would have to delay work at the middle school for 10 years.

Stepnick said the middle school should be the first priority. She favors building a new middle school over trying to renovate the existing building, which she described as being in “shambles.”

“The middle school needs addressed, and it needs addressed now,” she said. That it would wait another decade “is probably one of the most ridiculous statements I’ve heard in a long time.”

Stepnick said she wants more ideas, opinions and cost estimates than what Hayes Design Group is giving.

“We have to look at all of our space amongst all of our buildings and make decisions that are fiscally responsible, and we have to look at every single option,” she said.

Stepnick does not expect any construction to take place in 2024.

When it comes to finding room for full-day kindergarten, Stepnick suggested using space at the high school. While not the best option, she said it would be a safe one.

Walsh said that would require adding another bus run, and more buses and drivers.

Walsh said district officials will be taking walk-throughs of the buildings, which he said will give board members a better understanding of their needs.

The board will have a lot of big decisions to make over the next six to 12 months, Walsh said.

The school board is scheduled to hear a presentation from its financial advisors during its next discussion meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. Jan. 9 at the high school library.