Public Hearings Thursday for Bristol Elementary School Plan

Bristol School District officials will hold public hearings at two of the three elementary schools targeted for reconstruction by the district's massive consolidation plan.

Presentations of the construction plans will start at 6 p.m. at James Buchanan Elementary School, then move to Ralph Waldo Emerson for a 7:30 p.m. hearing. The forums are required under Act 34 guidelines for school construction to allow the public to officially enter comments and questions into the record.

Under the proposed project, Bristol School District's nine elementary schools will be combined into three larger schools, Buchanan, Emerson and a third school. Mary Divine Elementary is the planned site of the third school, but the township zoning board has not yet approved the location.

The new facilities will cost approximately $37 million each to construct and include updated security features, utility systems, gymnasiums that will be accessible to the community after school hours, media centers and expanded classrooms. The district plan also calls for renovating two of the middle schools. Truman High School would remain untouched.

A bulk of the funding for the $152 million plan will come from the issue of a general obligation bond. According to the school district, the state will reimburse 9.67 percent of the principal and interest. Despite a recent credit downgrading by Moody's, the district will continue to pursue the financing plan, LevittownNow.com reported.