The Making Of Hernando's Newest School

BROOKSVILLE - Hernando County's newest $55 million high school is nearly halfway paid for.

With approval for more than $431,300 in site work OK'd by a 4-1 vote at Tuesday's school board meeting, the new school - to be located north of Hexam Road on U.S. 19 in Spring Hill - is set to open in 2010 and meant to alleviate overcrowding at the district's other high schools.

The construction of the school is being paid for through a 10-year, one-half percent sales surtax, approved by Hernando County voters in March 2004.

With a tax levy that went into effect on Jan. 1, 2005, officials have collected $26.8 million as of May 2008. It will expire on Dec. 31, 2014.

The funding is used to pay the principal and interest on $45 million in sales tax revenue bonds issued in October 2006.

The proceeds of the sales tax revenue bond are being used to construct the new school - dubbed "high school EEE," for now - plus any 10-year sales tax revenue collections not needed for payment of principal and interest on the bonds.

"We bonded the sales tax revenue and sold sales tax revenue bonds so we could get the money upfront, instead of waiting for the 10 years to pass," finance director Deborah Bruggink said. "Since it's a $55 million school, the difference is coming from the sales tax revenue bonds and sales tax revenue itself."

The money cannot be used for any other projects except new school construction and equipment and improvements associated with those schools.

The district purchased the parcel of land that the school is located on in October 2006, with land that will also be used for a new K-8 school, to be located adjacent to the high school.

However, the money for the new K-8 school - which is in its early planning phases, and also slated to open in 2010 - will come from $106 million in certificates of participation that were issued when the district sold bonds in January 2006.

This is actually the district's second sales tax revenue bond. The first one, a five-year, half-cent sales tax, built Nature Coast Technical High School for $40 million. The school opened in 2003.

"Now, the district has identified some other needs, including giving some relief to the overcrowding at Central and Springstead High Schools," Bruggink said.

During the 2007-08 school year, while Hernando High was operating at 84 percent capacity, Springstead was operating at 114 percent. Since Central recently built on a new addition, its overcrowding was alleviated to 86 percent capacity.

However, with a projected 1 percent growth rate, Hernando High is estimated to be at 87 percent capacity, with 1,531 students. Springstead is estimated at 101 percent capacity, with 2,128 students, and Central is estimated at 90 percent, with 2,047 students.

"This is based on a very low growth rate," facilities director Roland Bavota said. "If that should turn, those numbers could change drastically, but high schools are growing and growing."

Much of the push for a new school comes with wanting to phase out the dozens of portables currently on each campus, he added.

The overcrowding issue is the main reason school board members voted to move forward with the project Tuesday. However, board member Pat Fagan disagreed, citing concerns about potential budget cuts and operating costs once the building is open.

"I think his concern is the cost of operating the facility - not just the electric and maintenance costs, but also the staff you need to run the building. Those (expenses) are just going to put additional pressure on what we're getting from the state," Bruggink said. "But you also have to provide relief to existing high schools that are bulging at the seams."

Officials are not sure how much money it will cost to operate the new building, which is slated to be "green," or an environmentally-friendly and low-maintenance school with operational costs kept as efficient as possible.

"We're building schools in line with low maintenance," Bavota said. "It's difficult to say how much it will cost (to operate), but I don't think there will be a lot of maintenance for this type of school."

While the new revenue will likely only be enough to build the new high school, there may be some extra income to put toward another new school - though none have been identified yet, she said.

"Over time, there may be additional interest earnings that come in that could help fund another school," Bruggink said.

But with impending state budget cuts on the horizon that may cause the district to lose an additional $3.1 million, the future may not be as bright for other future expenses - such as teacher raises, she said.

"If we lose revenue in the education formula, we're going to be faced with the question of how to operate with fewer dollars, so we would have to prioritize," Bruggink said.

And once the building opens, it's not going to stay empty.

"Certainly, maintaining that facility is going to be an additional expense added to the budget in the year that it opens - so the district will have to look at what we can afford and what adjustments will have to be made in the budget process during the 2010-11 school year," Bruggink said.