Cape school board approves latest consortium designs

Cape Henlopen school board unanimously approved May 11 the latest drawings for the new Sussex Consortium.

Director of Administrative Services Brian Bassett said the district is trying to get the state to grandfather increased costs for the 66,000-square-foot building.

“I would recommend that we keep moving forward in anticipation of receiving the money,” he told the board.

Bassett said bids from subcontractors are coming in higher than anticipated. Work has picked up in the overall construction industry resulting in a higher demand for electricians and other trades, he said.

Board President Andy Lewis said he was concerned about approving the building designs without assurance from the state that they will pay for it.

“If we approve this now, and we can't pay for it, does it look like the board has egg on its face?” he asked.

Both Bassett and Superintendent Robert Fulton said they continue to lobby for state funds, despite a tight budget this year.

In 2016, the state agreed to pay 100 percent of the $19 million building and another $1.8 million for 25 acres at 17344 Sweetbriar Road. Three months after the state approved the new Sussex Consortium, it increased its square-foot allocation by about $100 a square foot for construction projects.

The state agreed to pay about $280 a square foot, but the new amount takes into consideration increased construction market costs, Bassett said. The extra per-square-foot money could mean another $6.7 million for the consortium project.

There are about 270 students enrolled in the consortium, which runs the county's autism program and educates special needs students.

Bassett said he expects enrollment to continue to grow.

Six classrooms have been added to both Mariner and Beacon middle schools to allow consortium students to assimilate to a traditional classroom with their peers. Cape High has five classrooms for consortium use while Milton and Shields elementaries each have four.

Students who cannot handle the traditional school setting are educated at the main Sussex Consortium campus, which operates out of the Lewes School on Savannah Road.