BELLEFONTE — With a major decision looming over the fate of the Bellefonte Area School District’s elementary schools, the school board laid out three possible options for administrators to consider at their meeting this week.

On Tuesday, Jan. 21, the board will deliberate and vote on which, if any, of the district’s four elementary schools will close.

Option one involves renovating and updating all existing elementary school buildings; the second proposes the construction of a new 63,000-square-foot elementary school along with the closure of Bellefonte Elementary School; and the third option suggests building a larger, 83,000-square-foot elementary school and closing both Bellefonte and Benner elementary schools.

The primary consideration behind the closures is the condition of each facility.

Representatives from BASD’s construction management firm, SiteLogIQ, provided an in-depth analysis of each building and their recommendations for closures on Sept. 26, 2024, which is available online at https://bit.ly/bellefonteschools.

SiteLogIQ’s facility condition analysis identified Bellefonte Elementary as the school in the poorest condition, followed by Benner Elementary, Pleasant Gap and finally Marion-Walker, which was most recently renovated and deemed to be in significantly better condition than the other three schools.

The four options for how to proceed were developed by multidisciplinary design firm HUNT Engineers, Architects and Surveyors in September 2021.

“I want everybody to feel like they have all the information they need, that you’re fully informed and you can come to the meeting prepared to have a good discussion about it,” said School Board President Jon Guizar to the rest of the board on Jan. 7. “I think it’s important that we have those discussions in public, as we are required to, and that we express all of our concerns before making a final decision. We owe that to our district.”

Option 1: Upgrade all four facilities

The first option before the board is to upgrade all four existing facilities and their operational systems with recommended health and safety, accessibility, general building and site renovations.

This plan would see the district abandon its roughly $50 million new elementary school project, which has been in pre-construction since June 2024. This alternative does not provide any operational savings to the district nor does it include educational space upgrades to improve the physical configuration of the spaces.

The district estimates this approach would cost a total of $41,621,019, distributed equitably among the four elementary schools. Proceeding with upgrades to extend the lifespan of the buildings and their facilities and systems would be less expensive compared to the costs associated with equity and educational space plan improvements.

Focusing on rehabilitation of their aging facilities — many of which have been deemed structurally deficient and costly to maintain — does, however, take into account the benefits of preserving the community’s strong sense of neighborhood and the small school environment.

The biggest unknown associated with this option is the cost of installing sprinkler systems, which need to be considered for all four buildings. Presently, the cost estimates include replacing the fire rated corridor doors in lieu of adding a sprinkler system.

The cost per building, adjusted by 23 percent to account for increases in inflation and incidentals, is as follows: Bellefonte Elementary School would cost $20,743,618 and take two years to implement improvements from authorization; Benner Elementary School would cost $7,491,199 and take three years; Pleasant Gap Elementary School would cost $9,549,336 and also take three years; and Marion-Walker Elementary School would cost $3,836,866 and take two years to complete.

Option 2: Close Bellefonte

Elementary, open a new, smaller school

Option 2 would involve the closure of Bellefonte Elementary, located at 100 W Linn St., and the construction of a new 63,000-square-foot facility to accommodate Bellefonte’s current enrollment.

The new school would serve grades K-5, with three classrooms per grade level, accommodating approximately 400 students.

For optimal efficiency in the cafeteria (200 student lunch periods), gymnasium and support spaces, the school would ideally include five classrooms per grade level and serve around 600 students. Because this plan does not meet those criteria, adding two additional sections from Benner Elementary would be considered to maximize efficiency.

The plan offers minimal operational savings and, like Option 1, does not include educational space upgrades to improve the physical configuration of the school.

The primary benefit of this plan is the reduction of long-term maintenance costs for the aging Bellefonte Elementary School building, which was built in 1942 and last renovated in 1964. HUNT estimated the cost to build a new facility to replace Bellefonte Elementary would be equal to or less than the cost of renovating the existing, outdated building.

This option also would have minimal impact on the district’s transportation services.

While it does not prioritize equity across all of the district’s elementary buildings, a new, smaller facility would free up some funds for upgrades to the three remaining schools.

At a cost of approximately $325 per square-foot, new construction would total $27,121,500, with an estimated completion date three years from the authorization of the plan. Each of the three remaining schools would receive $1,230,000 for improvements, with a timeline of three years for Benner and Pleasant Gap to complete the upgrades, and two years for Marion Walker.

Total, the district would spend $30,781,500 on this approach.

Option 3: Close Bellefonte and Benner Elementary Schools, open a new, larger facility

The final choice is to close both Bellefonte and Benner elementaries and open a larger, 83,000-square-foot facility to house the current student bodies of both schools.

The new school would serve grades K-5, with five classrooms per grade level, accommodating approximately 600 students.

Though this option also does not include educational space upgrades to improve the physical configuration of spaces or allow for upgrades to the two remaining elementary schools, the benefits identified by HUNT are the most expansive.

With an estimated 600 students, the school would have the ideal enrollment for efficient use of the cafeteria, gymnasium and support spaces.

The closure of two schools would also provide operational savings for BASD with the reduction of long-term maintenance costs.

Additionally, the district expects minimal impact on transportation services, as Benner students are already transported close to the district’s center, which was strategically chosen as the location for the new facility.

The cost of the new school was estimated by HUNT to total $36,275,775, with an expected implementation timeline of three years from authorization.

During public comment, Benner Township supervisor Kathy Evey, a former member of the BASD School Board, shared her thoughts on the district’s ongoing challenges and the plans for a new school, which she noted have been in progress since her tenure.

Evey explained that it was clear, even in the 1990s when discussions first began, that Bellefonte Elementary would likely be one of the schools to close, as it was “never conducive to elementary education.”

She expressed regret that, despite the establishment of a Capital Reserve Fund intended to finance building maintenance and keep them operational, the fund has been neglected over the years. She also voiced concerns about the escalating repair costs, which have contributed to the growing likelihood that two schools will need to be closed, recalling that the estimated cost to replace Bellefonte Elementary was once $4 million. Today, BASD is spending upwards of $50 million dollars on the new construction.

“All the boards and administration from the year 2000 have sat back… and now we face a huge financial challenge to resolve all the issues,” said Evey.

“To close Benner at this time is completely absurd,” Evey added. “The township is a bubble about to burst with new development and new student population,” pointing to 300 new homes being developed in the area and an increase in the number of students riding a bus route that has already doubled in size.

She suggested the district consider relocating Bellefonte Elementary as planned, keeping kindergarten through third grade at Benner, Pleasant Gap and Marion-Walker, and moving fourth and fifth grades to the new building. She cited integrated learning for grades 4-5 and educational equity as key supporting arguments for her proposal.

“These are my views on a project that is now costing 50 million or more dollars than it was 25 years ago,” said Evey. “The big picture can not continue to be ignored.”

What comes next

BASD recently held a review of their entire elementary program to develop education specifications that ensure they are delivering the services and support that students need.

“The condition of our buildings and the learning environment is an important piece of that as well,” said Guizar.

He noted that Jan. 21’s discussion and vote will be focused entirely on which building, or buildings, will be closed, “what students will go where is not really the consideration for this decision. That is a decision that will be made in 2026,” since the district will not have the enrollment information necessary to make the decision before then.

“I think that we’re finally in a good place where we’re making positive change, and we are prepared to do something about it,” Guizar said.