There have been talks about renovating the school for nearly five years, and within the past several months the district has presented architectural designs and cost estimates. The scope of the renovation will be contingent upon a decision to only repair the essentials such as HVAC, plumbing, and electrical, or do all of that along with bringing ninth grade up to the high school and expanding the facility to accommodate this growth. Costs for the essential repairs have been estimated at $250M, however, costs for the full-scale renovation of the high school have so far been estimated to be in the $400M range which requires a voter referendum in order to surpass the Act 1 Tax index. This possibility of a tax increase (around $175-$225 annually) is a concern to certain members of the community.
“There has been and there will continue to be a refinement to the project. As we get more realistic and tighter estimates,” NPHS Administrator of Secondary Education and Renovations Mr. Pete Nicholson explained. “We looked at the number of classrooms we need and programming, we talked a lot about a ninth-grade center but now there is some ability to morph freshmen fully in. This reduces square footage and promotes a more efficient structure.”
On the topic of architectural plans, the more efficient the design is, the better, regarding the costs of building and labor.
“Consolidation increases efficiency. We are certainly looking to keep costs the same. These are all estimates and now we are getting closer to costs. We won’t know how much this truly costs until the bids come in,” NPHS Superintendent Dr. Todd Bauer stated.
As of right now, NPSD is in the process of laying down possible architectural designs and making tweaks to possibly reduce square footage in the hope of getting a lower bid.
“With a firm conceptual design, I believe that we are not going to have any large-scale changes. In my estimation, there will be modest changes, possibly from a 30k-foot view to 20k,” Nicholson stated. “Detailed designs of the project and specifics and such till much later in the process possibly after bidding in the summer of 2025. Between now and then things will continuously refine, but by late October- early November we will so the board can pass this referendum. During the month of October, there will be very modest changes to the building and a very refined estimate.”
“We are moving from concept design to schematic design, in an attempt to have a true estimate to go before the community as a referendum. We hope to present those numbers by October 19th, and then the board would officially pass a resolution to go to referendum in January,” Bauer said.
Different members of the local community certainly have different views about a voter referendum for renovating the high school. Simply put, some people do not want to pay more taxes.
When asked how he feels about members of the community who do not approve of the tax increase, Nicholson replied, “My thought is, that is exactly why going to the referendum is the best decision for his community. I hope that every voter is educated. Every voter is impacted differently by tax increases, and this is one of the greatest forms of democracy, the voter is able to come out and say yes or no and I respect their right. The hope here is that everybody is educated and looks to value education. It’s democracy at work. I look forward to seeing the results one way or another, but the hope is everyone is coming from educated lines and not simply focusing on taxes. — Mr. Pete Nicholson
“I think it is a beautiful thing that we are going to the referendum because it leaves the decision to the people, the taxpayers,” Bauer reflected. “This is the perfect form of democracy, allowing the community to decide what happens at North Penn High School. But I think the people who are not interested in voting yes for the referendum, either don’t understand the current status of our building or don’t understand the disadvantage that our ninth graders are in compared to other ninth graders around the commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” Bauer firmly stated.
“I think when you take the time to meet with folks and explain the situation, they are typically in favor of moving ninth graders to the high school campus.”
Nicholson hosts tours of NPHS every other Tuesday at 6 p.m.; these tours are open to anyone in the community who genuinely wants to recognize the state of the NPHS building.
Per Nicholson, “NPHS has roughly $51.5M worth of projects that have to happen, mission-critical, level 5,” and on these tours, certain parts of the school that need these repairs are shown to the community.
Pass or fail, the beauty of the democracy in this decision is that the people influence it, not just the board. Members of the board don’t look to force their mindset on these renovations and the referendum onto others, rather, to educate the people in the community about how important it is that we make these renovations and hopefully bring ninth grade to NPHS.
“Our job is not to impart our opinion onto the community, but rather to explain the rationale and outcomes behind a yes vote and a no vote. “Our objective is to have a conversation or give a tour to anyone within our community who would like to do so. Pass or fail our community needs to be able to move forward together,” Bauer said in closing.