More on Northeastern:Northeastern schools reexamines building project after budget concerns
“Although we are pleased to begin moving forward, there is still work to be done to align the estimates with the available budget,” a statement from the district said. “The Northeastern Local School District Board of Education and Administration are committed to constructing two new Pre-K through 12 facilities our community approved on Election Day in May 2018 without asking the community for additional funding. These facilities will be safe, secure and welcoming learning environments that support educational opportunities in our community for years to come.”
Northeastern is currently in the process of finalizing floor plans for two new schools.
One campus will be adjacent to the current South Vienna school and will be “Northeastern PreK-12.” The second campus will be on the property near Kenton Ridge High School and will be “Kenton Ridge PreK-12.”
Kenton Ridge planning has been on hold since July while the district worked through the budget issues. Planning is expected to resume soon and move into the schematic design phase, or the first stage of construction planning, the statement said.
“We believe the solutions we are seeking for the Northeastern building will also apply to the Kenton Ridge building,” the statement said.
Funding for the new schools will come from local and state money. Voters approved a 37-year $79 million bond issue in May 2018. In addition to the bond, the state will contribute around 40%, or $40 million, to the project through the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC).
The OFCC is responsible for guiding and setting budgets for capital projects for state agencies, state-supported universities and community colleges and Ohio’s comprehensive public K-12 school construction and renovation program, according to their website.
The OFCC sets a budget for a new school construction project by calculating the district’s enrollment, OFCC’s recommended square footage for each students and the OFCC’s per-square-foot costs for construction.
More on Northeastern:Northeastern installs 50 'panic buttons' on district computers
The district’s statement said under this formula, the district was given a budget of approximately $228 per square foot for each building — with 40% of the base cost of building the facilities being paid for by the OFCC.
“The district ensured during the bond issue process that the budget took into account inflation,” the statement said. “However, market conditions and construction demand have outpaced the OFCC’s calculations due to a combination of external factors, including rising labor costs, booming construction market, and increasing materials cost.”
Taking those factors into account, the statement said, the initial estimates for the Northeastern building came in at about $298 per square foot, or about 30% over budget.
However, after revising the drawings and completing new estimates in the last couple of months, the project is currently projected to cost approximately $275 per square foot, or about 20% over budget, the statement said.
While the revisions helped reduce the price per-square-foot of the building, the district said they will continue to work with the OFCC, the construction manager and architects to, “aggressively pursue any and all cost saving options for the facilities,” the statement said.
Local education:3 Clark County districts building new schools over next five years
The statement goes on to say that if the district cannot lower estimates any further — they are prepared to commit a portion of the $17 million “Locally Funded Initiative” dollars — which were built into the May 2018 bond issue — to cover their share of the increased costs of labor and materials.
The LFI dollars that were built into the bond can be used for additions to school construction projects for things not funded by the state, like additional square-footage, sports venues, or auditoriums, according to previous reporting by the Springfield News-Sun.
“We will also advocate for a budget adjustment from the OFCC for their share of the increased costs (40%),” the statement said. “The district has contacted our local state senator and will continue to engage our legislators for assistance with this project.”
The district said they plan to issue another update on where school funding stands at the end of November.
“We share the community’s passion and excitement for the fruition of new school buildings for our students and look forward to celebrating that day with you,” the statement said.
Parents and community members with any questions about the construction project are encouraged to contact a member of the Northeastern Local School District Board of Education or Kronour at johnkronour@nelsd.org.
About the Author