Schools
Future of Bristol Schools to be Discussed Tuesday
District will hold a meeting on its proposed closure and construction of new schools.
The Bristol Township School District will be holding an important meeting on the future of the school system Tuesday night in the auditorium of the Benjamin Franklin School on Mill Creek Road.
Officials will be holding the public meeting to discuss plans for the district to construct three new K-5 buildings and close all nine older elementary schools. Renovations to Neil A. Armstrong Middle School and the Benjamin Franklin School, which currently acts as an administration building, are also set to be discussed.
According to the district, the elementary schools are nearly filled to capacity and more space is needed as more families pop up across the district.
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The over $150 million project is expected to update the district’s aging schools and cut maintenance costs, the district said.
“Money saved from operating and maintaining our aged buildings, and by retiring old debt, will more than cover the costs of building the new facilities,” a district mailer claimed.
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The district will likely face tough questions at the meeting from taxpayers questioning how the district can afford the new buildings. Citing financial stress, the district curtailed staff, cut bus routes and raised taxes in 2012.
In past meetings, district officials have stated that renovations and new schools are necessary for the district because the buildings are getting older and are very inefficient.
School officials submitted similar plans to the state back in October as part of a program that could earn the district between 15 to 25 percent of their investment back.
The meeting is expected to begin at 7 p.m. and end by 10 p.m.
