Dublin Schools Delay Approval Of $1B Master Facilities Plan

Dublin CA

24 February, 2022

8:32 PM

Description

DUBLIN, CA — After more than two years debate punctuated by several revisions, Dublin school board members Tuesday night delayed final approval of the district's Master Facilities Plan, an aggressive program for rehabilitating and expanding deteriorating school buildings and constructing new ones that will ultimately cost taxpayers more than $1 billion. In a narrow 3-2 vote, the board sent the plan back for additional revisions. When it's ultimately approved the document will map the direction of modernization and expansion of existing facilities and construction of both a new high school and a future K-8 school to accommodate what is projected to be continuing growth in district enrollment through the end of the decade. Overall, the master plan includes scores of district-wide improvement projects impacting every school – ranging from addition of new classrooms and expansion of athletic facilities to a number of heating, ventilation and air conditioning system upgrades. Some of those projects are already underway. Two of the three members voting against approval – board president Dan Cherrier and Gabi Blackman – voiced reservations with Blackman expressing concerns the plan didn't fully address facilities needed at Fallon Middle School and Cherrier saying the facilities plan was "highly flawed" and not being implemented properly. Last September the board adopted a separate implementation plan encompassing three projects currently under construction at Frederiksen and Murray Elementary Schools and Phase 1 of the new Emerald High School totaling $394.4 million. The plan also identified an additional 'top five' projects totaling $280.9 million that include Phase 2 of Emerald High School, substantial modernization of Dublin Elementary, a gym at Cottonwood Elementary, Phase 1 construction of a new K-8 school at Dublin Crossings and district-wide technology upgrades. The implementation plan, like the master plan, has been reworked several times since January 2021 when then-superintendent Daniel Moirao revealed the district had an estimated $184 million shortfall in funds required to complete projects initially earmarked in a 2020 projects plan. During consideration of the draft Facilities Master Plan last November Cherrier voiced concerns saying "having an implementation plan before the Facilities Master Plan seems completely backwards to me, but that's how we decided to do it." Cherrier said after five years on the board he didn't like to worry about the past but the decision to approve an implementation plan before deciding on an overall master plan "was probably one of the top three bad decisions I've seen this board make." At the time Blackman agreed, saying she felt strongly "the process was backwards. We need a master plan first, then an implementation plan." Although the district admits it doesn't know where funding for its entire wish list of projects will be obtained, Assistant Superintendent for Business Services Chris Hobbs told Patch there's still $174 million in voter-approved Measure J bond authority and the district believes it has the capacity to sell another $110 million in bonds during 2023. Hobbs said the district has so far received $55.1 million in Proposition 51 state matching funds and expects to receive an additional $19.7 million during the next year, distributions that have already been approved but not yet funded by the state. Currently the district has $679.3 million in outstanding General Obligation bonds. If these bonds are not repaid before their maturity dates between 2044 and 2051, combined principal and interest payments will total slightly over $1 billion. This debt will increase if and when additional bonds are sold in 2023. — Bob Porterfield and Courtney Teague contributed to this report.