Why Should Delaware Care?
If a school district wants to build a new school or complete major renovations, they must request approval from the state through a certificate of necessity. But multiple CN requests have failed in recent years. While the Delaware Department of Education has said it will approve small requests this year, districts seeking to build new schools may see more rejections.
For the third year in a row, Delaware school districts are unlikely to have enough money to build new school buildings, despite concerns about overcrowding in the southern part of the state.
Last month, the Delaware Department of Education said in an email to the state’s 19 districts that it is prioritizing school construction projects that cost $15 million or less – an amount that is effectively too low to build a modern school from the ground up.
Two years ago, the Appoquinimink School District’s proposal to build a new middle school and high school at a single campus was estimated at more than $239 million.
In its email, the education department said its $15 million limit is designed to address “as many one-time facility needs as possible.”
Despite the message, several school districts have since submitted application requests to the state for construction projects that surpassed the $15 million priority limit.
Six requests are for the construction of new schools, or major renovations to accommodate more students.
The applications have come as multiple school districts in southern Delaware deal with overcrowding, including the Indian River School District whose officials have told Spotlight Delaware that they have needed to retrofit existing storage areas into classrooms.
The Delaware Department of Education did say in the August email that it may review district applications for new school construction and other projects, if funding is still available after projects costing $15 million or less have been considered.
How does the funding process work?
If a district wants to build a new school, add an expansion, or complete a substantial renovation, its officials must seek state funding approvals from the Delaware Department of Education through a process known as a certificate of necessity, commonly referred to as a CN.
If the Department of Education approves a request, the state will fund a percentage of the project cost. The district would need to secure its local contribution through a referendum vote.
If a certificate of necessity is rejected, school leaders typically opt for a patchwork of repairs, rather than a major renovation.
The Delmar School District has tried and failed for two consecutive years to secure approvals for a new school. District officials have said a new building could “address documented patterns of continued student population growth.”
In the Delmar School District, some students take classes in the school’s media center because of overcrowding.
Delmar Chief Operating Officer Monet Smith told Spotlight Delaware in February that another failed certificate of necessity is “only going to exacerbate our issues.”
Roofs and HVACs
During board of education meetings throughout the past month, multiple education officials noted the Delaware Department of Education’s Aug. 5 message and used it to frame their requests.
Some school districts, such as Christina, directly cited the department’s email as reasoning for requesting $14.9 million to renovate the Christiana High School auditorium and address other safety projects at Glasgow and Newark high schools.
Other districts, such as Seaford and Brandywine — both of which have addressed hundreds of repair requests in recent years — said they would use the $15 million to complete as many site improvements as possible.
Those improvements would include replacing older roofs and HVAC units throughout schools, among other priorities.
While Delaware Department of Education officials told districts they are trying to address smaller repairs first, multiple education leaders expressed ongoing concern and frustration with the process.
Last month, the Milford School District requested $80 million to complete major renovations and expansions to its high school.
But it was the fourth time the school district has submitted the request, according to Tammy Smith, the district’s chief operating officer.
Board member Sara Hale expressed frustration with the state “and the lack of funding for Kent and Sussex County and for districts that need it, like ours.”
Similar sentiments were shared during a Lake Forest Board of Education meeting last month.
The Lake Forest School District submitted a $2.2 million certificate of necessity request to complete renovations to the W.T. Chipman Middle School.
Although it is below the Delaware Department of Education’s $15 million priority threshold, district officials said they want more transparency in the process.
Asked by a board member how the Delaware Department of Education approves a request, Lake Forest Chief Financial Officer Kurt Keleman said, “you’re asking the question that every single business in the state has been asking.”
Keleman also pointed toward the Woodbridge School District’s $60 million request to build a new middle school. That same request was rejected last year.
