The Sussex Technical School District has submitted its certificate of necessity application for a replacement building to the Delaware Department of Education.
The replacement school will be a centralized building for both high school and adult education students.
The district says the new building will save taxpayers millions of dollars on maintenance costs when compared to the current campus, which has wings dating from the 1960s. The overall cost of the project would also be lower than extensive renovations.
“Sussex Tech looks forward to engaging with community members, elected officials, families, and other stakeholders throughout the process,” a release stated.
The district is expected to cite the growing demand for vo-tech education in the county, with the number of applications far exceeding available slots
While finalizing the certificate of necessity application, the district this week received updated conceptual estimates from a subcontractor regarding one of the options that the Board of Education abandoned in its selection process.
The estimated cost of the unselected Option A, significantly renovating all parts of the main building, was revised downward to $177.6 million. The revised estimate has no impact on the Board’s endorsed Option C, building a replacement school.
Renovation remains the most expensive option, and building a replacement school would save taxpayers between $24 million and $26 million over renovating.
Should the plan make its way through a certificate of necessity process, the project would require approval by the Delaware General Assembly through the state’s bonding capacity.
Should the General Assembly approve the proposal property taxpayers would be automatically assessed for the project, which would also get a large chunk of its funding from the state.
The process differs from public school districts, which must go to voters for building bond issues, which also use a combination of state and district funds.
