The school board called a special meeting on Dec. 14 to consider taking out a $10 million loan to be used for major school improvements.
The loan was approved and will be used to add new wings to Harry Hurst and J.B. Martin Middle Schools. This plan would call for some 6th grade classes to be moved to the two schools.
The loan is part of a federal stimulus program that caps the borrowing at less than 3 percent per year over a 15-year term and gives tax credits to the lenders instead of interest.
The lender, Capital One Bank N.A., requires a 1.25 percent annual interest rate, but St. Charles Parish Schools Comptroller Jim Malone said that this will still be a great deal.
“In effect, what’s really happening is we get $10 million up front and we don’t have to pay anything back for 10 years,” Malone said. “Instead of making it back to the bank, we get to make the payments into a sinking fund that earns interest so we’re going to be earning interest at the same time that we’re going to be paying interest. In the end, we’re only paying $106,000 in total interest, not annual interest.”
At the meeting, a plan, that also includes an additional $7 million that has already been allocated for school improvements, was presented to the school board. The plan includes new wings at Harry Hurst and J. B. Martin Middle Schools to accommodate 6th grade classes that will be moved to the two schools from Lakewood, R. J. Vial, Norco 4-6 and Ethel Schoeffner Elementary Schools.
The board said the move will take place no earlier than 2012.
The new two-story wing at Hurst will house 24 classrooms and the two-story wing at J. B. Martin will have 32 classrooms. Both will include elevators.
The new wings would eliminate 42 of the district’s 112 portables currently in use.
The plan also includes major renovations for the gyms at Hurst and J. B. Martin.
The gyms were a topic of controversy at the meeting, with some believing this was a chance for the board to give the middle schools better gyms and others thinking that the matter should wait.
Board member Mary Bergeron’s first response was to adopt a revised version of the plan that would not include renovating the gyms.
“It’s my belief that this is an opportunity. The thing for us to do is build classroom wings at the two middle schools so we can accomplish our goal of eliminating many portables and moving the 6th grades,” Bergeron said. “I think we should wait on the gyms.”
Bergeron said her main concern in renovating the gyms is that more problems could come up once renovations began.
Board member Alex Suffrin also expressed concerns about whether redoing the gyms was the right move.
“I’m not sure there will be enough money later to redo high school classroom wings,” Suffrin said, to which Superintendent Rodney Lafon responded, “We’re going to show you the money, I promise you.”
Board member Ellis Alexander was unsure about whether money should be taken out of the budget in addition to the money being taken out by the loan to do these projects.
“That $10 million (loan) will be eaten up by the two classroom additions, so I’m wondering if we shouldn’t just stop at the classrooms,” Alexander said.
On the other side of the discussion was board member John Smith who thought that renovating the gyms was an opportunity that should be taken advantage of.
“The board has an opportunity here to kick in another $4 million and get state-of-the-art classrooms and state-of-the-art gymnasiums for these youngsters and these schools,” Smith said. “The money is available. Why would we not do that?”
There was also some concern among the members about moving the 6th grades to the middle schools.
“I don’t want to hear about eliminating portables…I want to hear if it’s a better situation for the child,” board member John Robichaux said.
Felicia Gomez, assistant superintendent of schools, replied by saying, “Consistent configuration will benefit all of us, including the kids…especially the kids.”
In the end, the $17-million plan was passed unanimously and the $10 million loan will be taken out and used to add classrooms and renovate gyms at Hurst and J. B. Martin.
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