Indian River School District unveils plans for expansion

Enrollment in the Indian River School District is booming, leading to overcrowded conditions in certain schools.   Now the district is laying out options on how to address those conditions.

"We tried to put together any possible idea.  We started with data, we started taking a look at projected data over through 2024, and we were able to really get a story looking at that data," said IRSD superintendent Mark Steele.

Five options were laid out for how to increase capacity for Indian River Schools.  We're told there are five schools – two elementary, two middle and Sussex Central High – who are experiencing these conditions and need to be addressed.

Of course, Steele says the goal is to be as efficient as possible.

"I don't really want to go greatly in debt.  Taking a look at what we can build and how we can utilize existing buildings or what we can do move wise to maximize space," says Steele.

Board member Derek Cathell says he is in favor of option two, which includes a new 2,200 student high school built on the grounds where the current Sussex Central High School exists.

"There's land there available," said Cathell.  "And we already have the infrastructures for a sports field so if a new high school is built there you could share those fields.  And if you renovated the old high school into a middle school you could share the fields that would eliminate the cost for adding any additional sports fields."

With these plans the district will have to ask for a referendum on a major capital increase.  Board members hope to convince tax payers the growth in numbers are coming, and that these renovations are necessary.

"We just have to make everyone aware of the growth and that the student population is out growing our infrastructure. I know a lot of people maybe don't want to hear about tax increases or referendums but the growth is coming so we have to prepare for that," said Cathell.

The public will have two weeks to look over the five options before the board votes on the one they want to take up at their May 23rd meeting.

The next steps listed by the district are to submit certificates of necessity by August 31st.

The district would then plan and execute a major capital referendum this winter or next spring with construction beginning in the summer of 2019.