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Friday, December 19, 2008
FCPS Releases Proposed Five-Year Capital Improvement Program
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Superintendent Jack D. Dale has released the school system’s proposed FY 2010-14 capital improvement program (CIP), which anticipates that enrollment growth over the next five years could reach nearly 12,000 additional students, raising total FCPS enrollment to approximately 182,000 students. The CIP recommends an avenue for public engagement in the facilities planning process and holds the newly ranked school renovation queue in abeyance for at least one year.
“In the past two years, we have seen an abrupt and unanticipated enrollment jump of 5,200 students,” says Dale. “In previous years, we projected a leveling-off of student enrollment, but—in part because of the economy—our enrollment continues to rise. If we enroll students at our projected rate, as many as 50 of our schools could be 10 percent or more over capacity by the 2013-14 school year. This CIP will redirect the focus of new capital spending to capacity enhancement projects to accommodate the growing student population.”
The FY 2010-14 CIP includes new schools, renovations, and additions over five years totaling $806.8 million; $376 million of this is currently funded with approved school bonds. In addition, the CIP provides enrollment projections over the five-year period FY 2010-14. The total CIP project cost over 10 years (including the prior year’s and the subsequent year’s expenditures) is estimated to be $1.7 billion.
The CIP project schedule limits new construction until a new comprehensive planning initiative, with a public engagement component, is complete. FCPS must adhere to an annual cash flow limit of $155 million each year.
Projects that are in this CIP but are currently unfunded include West County Adult and Community Education facilities, technology security and infrastructure upgrades, dedicated school bus parking facilities, and satellite maintenance facilities. Of the five-year requirements for renovations to 26 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, and 5 high schools, $239.6 is funded and $296.6 million is unfunded.
FCPS plans to engage the public in a proposed comprehensive planning initiative, which is intended to identify solutions to address the increasing school capacity deficit and to look at long-range planning for school facilities. One or more School Board-appointed citizen planning groups will be asked to set priorities for challenges and to recommend solutions, including potential boundary changes, temporary and permanent additions, new schools, and program changes.
The Fairfax County School Board has scheduled a public hearing on the FY 2010-14 CIP for Tuesday, January 6, 2009, at 6 p.m. at Jackson Middle School, 3020 Gallows Road, Falls Church. The speakers list for this public hearing opens at 6 a.m. on Friday, December 19, on the web at http://www.fcps.edu/schlbd/requestspeak.htm and will close at 4:30 p.m. on January 5, 2009.
### Note: Details of the FY 2010-14 CIP can be found at www.fcps.edu/fts. For more information, contact Denise James at 703-246-6920.
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