Cape eyes another bid for expansion

Cape Henlopen School District plans to submit another request to build an addition to the high school, this time shedding a pool and other facilities the public argued were not critical to providing a quality education. 

During an Aug. 7 school board retreat in the district administrative offices, Director of Operations Jason Hale outlined the need for the project to accommodate a booming student population and discussed the scope of the plan.

The board plans to vote at its Thursday, Aug. 21 meeting to file for a certificate of need with the state by the end of the month, Hale said. If approved by the state, the district could begin planning a project, which could take two years to complete, he said.

However, state education officials informed the district the day of the Aug. 7 meeting that no more projects will be considered this year, he said.

The district wants to get a plan into the approval process in hopes of receiving funding in the future when money is available.

If the state agrees there is a need for the project, it would commit to paying its share of the costs, Hale said. The estimated cost is more than $65 million. The state would cover 60% of the cost, leaving the district to bond for the remaining $26 million.

State approval would not commit the district to moving ahead with a project, he said. The board would have to vote to send a project to a referendum, where the public would have the final say.

The project would include 24 classrooms and improvements to athletic facilities. New rooms would increase the school’s capacity to 2,400 from the current 2,000.

The school is already over capacity, and the number of students continues to increase, Hale said. Enrollment topped 2,000 students this year, and the graduating class had 464 students. 

The athletics facilities portion of the project includes creating usable space under bleachers and making improvements to field amenities, athletic and spectator safety, concessions, locker rooms and restrooms. 

Hale said district officials heeded residents’ objections about the proposals defeated in earlier referendums and removed portions that drew objections.

“We heard the community,” he said. “And really we’re hearing the words, ‘focus on more education, immediate student impact.’” 

The district is cutting out a pool, bus maintenance facility, administration office and land purchase.

A March 2024 referendum asked residents to pay a tax increase of 21 cents per $100 of assessed property for a $78.6 million project that included building a $36 million natatorium, and buying a 102-acre property along Cedar Grove Road for a new district office and a bus maintenance facility.

District officials took the natatorium out of the mix for the second referendum in May 2024, which was again defeated by voters.

The district’s Long-Range Facilities Planning Committee will consider another project for those facilities and to purchase land for construction, district officials said Aug. 7.

Board Vice President Janis Hanwell said a new site would have to be accessible and located in a growth zone.

The district office building must be relocated to make room for a high school expansion, allowing areas for stormwater management and parking, Hale said. So the board will have to continue to develop a plan to replace the office building, which would be fully funded by local taxpayers. 

A housing boom in the district has been pushing schools over capacity. The enrollment in the entire district increased from under 4,400 in 2005 to nearly 6,700 in 2024.

The district has pressed Sussex County officials to halt approvals of large housing projects that will bring more students until the county can enact a fee to raise funds for school construction to accommodate more students.

County council recently received state approval to create a building permit fee, but a specific fee plan has not yet been introduced by council. Hale said he is confident the county will initiate the fee.