Forum on second high school, crowding scheduled for tonight

Should the school district deal with high school crowding by using split shifts or year-round classes, or should it use bond funds to start building a second high school on a site that has not been approved by the state?

The latter course of action entails the risk of spending $3 million in local money and not getting repaid by the state from money that otherwise would pay for a new school.

The Sahuarita school board is holding a forum on these topics tonight for parents, voters and property owners. The event is set for 6:30 p.m. at the district auditorium, 350 W. Sahuarita Road.

Sahuarita High School has about 1,430 students in a building designed for 1,200, and classes are meeting in the library. A handful of teachers are roaming about from class to class because they don’t have permanent classrooms. Enrollment next year could grow to 1,500.

The state School Facilities Board (SFB) has approved a second high school, but the state Legislature has not funded new schools this year.

District officials have proposed building about 10 classrooms of what in a year or two could become a complete high school on the west side of Sahuarita Park, on land that Farmers Investment Co. would lease for up to five years.

The district would use $3 million in bond money that voters already have approved for improvements to the $13-million bare-bones high school that the state has approved, but not funded. It also could get some $500,000 from Pima Community College, Sahuarita School Superintendent Jay St. John said, and has a $1 million promised donation from Park Company of Arizona, which hinges on the district not condemning Park property on La Canada Drive.

With that $4.5 million, the district could build the 10 classrooms and seek reimbursement from the state in 2009, assuming the Legislature funds new schools in fiscal year 2010, which starts in July 1, 2009. That would provide space for 250 to 300 high school students, or possibly middle school students, which could allow the district to put its 9th graders in the middle school, rather than go to split shifts or year-round school, St. John said. Those are the kinds of decisions on which the district wants parental comment, he said.

There are three risky areas apparent now with spending bond money on the 10 classrooms:

If the Legislature does not fund new schools next year, the district will not get reimbursed, unless the Legislature authorizes reimbursement when funding does become available.

If the SFB does not approve reimbursement, the district would lose out, unless the Legislature overrides the SFB and approves reimbursement.

The Legislature could ban reimbursement.

pfranchine@sahuaritasun.com | 547-9738