A statewide evaluation by the Delaware Department of Education has identified more than 1,200 school buildings that need repairs, ranging from minor issues such as cosmetic deterioration to major needs like leaking roofs, outdated dehumidifiers, or malfunctioning air conditioning.
Spotlight Delaware reports that the information comes from state-mandated evaluations conducted by each of the state's 19 school districts.
Leading all districts in terms of total repairs identified was the Brandywine School District, with 235 total issues at school buildings.
The Indian River School District was second to Brandywine with 154 repair notes. Supervisor of Buildings and Grounds William “Joe” Dooley is concerned about being able to meet the repair needs of the district’s older buildings because there isn’t enough funding available.
The condition of some schools can be identified by comparing the total cost of renovations with the cost of building a new facility.
Doug Henry, supervisor of buildings and grounds in the Seaford district, was told by an architect that the cost of renovating the district’s middle school would be $70.8 million, and the cost of building a new middle school would be $72.1 million.
“That tells you right there where we’re at,” Henry said. “At some point, it’s just cheaper to build a building than it is to maintain.”
In order to build a new school, add an expansion or complete a substantial renovation, school districts in Delaware must seek out state funding and get approval from the Department of Education through the Certificate of Necessity (CN) process.
If the state approves a request, 60% of a project cost would be funded through state bonds and districts would have to secure a 40% local contribution through a referendum.
