RSF School renovation impacted by state funding delay

By Karen Billing

The Rancho Santa Fe School District board is working on a mid-course adjustment for its renovation of the R. Roger Rowe campus after learning that the $2.5 million from the state might not come in until 2012. The new school is nearly 50 percent complete and is scheduled to open in August of 2010.
To help solve its underfunding problem, the board may need to place some renovation items on hold until the state money comes in. Additionally, Superintendent Lindy Delaney may recommend to the board at its Feb. 4 meeting that district special reserves funds be used to complete the project. Delaney said she may ask the board to use $800,000 of the district’s reserves, which currently has a balance of $2,828,974.
"I have grave concerns about dipping too deep into our special reserves," said Scot Cheatham, board president.
Trustee Carlie Headapohl said she wants the board to continue to be very conservative in these uncertain times, in case they never get that $2.5 million from the state.
"I have more faith," said trustee Jim Depolo. "I think we will get some money back from the state and the community has shown a tremendous amount of support to help us [raise money for] the performing arts center."
Depolo said he agrees that while the board should be conservative in its spending, it should prioritize renovation-related projects/goals.
The driving force behind the shortfall is that the state is currently in a "funding freeze" for infrastructure projects, explained Emily Barrata, senior consultant with School Facility Consultants. The district has filed four applications to the Office of Public School Construction, but because of the funding freeze the office has dramatically slowed down its processing. When board members asked if they can accelerate the process at all, Barrata firmly replied “No.”
"It's unusual for a consultant to say those words but it's a sign of the times," Barrata said. "Right now we're at the mercy of the state and their processing time."
Funding becomes available when the state issues bonds and the Pooled Money Investment Board allocates funds to the schools, but it is unclear when the state will issue these bonds. Barrata estimates the actual realization of the funds could be postponed into late 2012.
To cut costs, Delaney came up with a list of items that could be put on hold, such as a $666,000 security system and $85,000 for new lockers, with the thinking that the old ones will suffice until new ones can be purchased. Delaney said the district can also wait on spending $20,000 for interior stone work and $21,000 for decorative toilet partitions.
"I was trying to cut back in areas that won't affect the children," Delaney said.
Delaney was reluctant to suggest holding off on ball walls for the playground and a pond for the science department, which she said will offer a great learning opportunity for students. To avoid making those cuts, Delaney suggested the board may consider tapping into the district’s special reserves.
Delaney and the board said they hope the Rancho Santa Fe Education Foundation's capital campaign for the performing arts center will be successful so they will be able to offset the costs of installing a rigging and curtain package in the building.
While unforeseen costs are standard with any construction process, one sizable cost came from the Rancho Santa Fe Association's Art Jury, which made several requests to improve the aesthetic quality of the school's design. It was estimated that the work would cost $260,000 but the work has come to total $563,000, according to Delaney.
"We tried to accommodate the Art Jury and it's cost us more money and been painful for us," Delaney said.
The district cannot go back and change many of the Art Jury requests as the work has already started. Delaney recommended installing the conduit to the 22 designer light fixtures the Art Jury requested, but not buying the fixtures yet, saving $17,848. They will also wait on the Art Jury's requested $42,777 "heavy boost" on the rooftop and copper rain gutters. By changing the rain gutter material they will save an additional $2,000.