District will use $9 million to build new middle school
Will also add new wing to high school

SAHUARITA--Within the next two years, the Sahuarita Unified School District will see the construction of a new middle school and an additional wing for the local high school, thanks to a nearly $9 million recent allocation by the Arizona School Facilities Board.

Since the late 1990s, local school districts have had to relinquish responsibility for funding and building new schools to the SFB, and for some time now SUSD Superintendent Jay St. John has fought a frustrating battle trying to convince that board that Sahuarita is one of the state's so-called "hyper-growth districts" (those growing at approximately 15 percent-20 percent annually).

At a meeting in Phoenix last week, however, the SFB seems to have realized the seriousness of Sahuarita's runaway growth, awarding the district nearly $9 million to alleviate some of the more pressing of its growing pains.

"They now realize that we are a hyper-growth district," St. John said during a regular meeting of the SUSD Governing Board Wednesday night. "This is very good news from the School Facilities Board."

The new middle school, for which the SFB awarded the district some $6.1 million, will be built within the Rancho Sahuarita development on property donated by Robert Sharpe, the primary developer of that area.

The school will be approximately 58,000 square feet and will hold about 600 students.

The district's recent capital plan calls for a 72,500-square-foot middle school for 750 students, but the SFB's methods are formula driven, and St. John was told that if he asked for slightly less, the district would have a better chance of getting the money, St. John said.

The new school is expected to open for classes in August of 2006, St. John said.

Now that the SFB has "approved the new construction, we have to go out and hire an architect, and get it built, but we can't spend any more than the $6.1 million, and if we do it has to be our money," St. John said.

The SFB also approved some 2.8 million to build a two-story, 23,063-square-foot wing onto Sahuarita High School. The wing will hold 172 students.

The high school's new wing will also open for classes in August 2006, St. John said.

The district is also looking forward to the SFB approving the remainder of its recent requests--for a 200,000-square-foot high school, and two 54,000-square-foot elementary schools.

Those requests may be voted on by the state board in April, and the schools could open for classes between 2007 and 2009, St. John said.

Meantime, to lessen the effects of the overcrowding now occurring within SUSD, the district is looking into remodeling Sahuarita Middle School and possibly Sahuarita Elementary School to create more classroom space, St. John said.

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