Delmarva Christian, Sussex Academy to swap facilities

Call it fate, fortune or God's will, leaders of one Sussex school in need of more space have inked a deal to swap facilities with another Sussex school that has more space than it needs.

Delmarva Christian High School and Sussex Academy of Arts & Sciences announced plans Nov. 2 to switch their Georgetown facilities.

Last spring, the state gave Sussex Academy permission to expand its academic program through Sussex County's first charter high school – Sussex Preparatory Academy. Fundraisers had been working to generate money to build an expansion at Sussex Academy's existing Georgetown site, but Delmarva Christian's proposal has changed their plans.

"Six weeks ago we approached the academy board with a very out-of-the-box idea," said Marlene Brown, board president for Delmarva Christian High School. "We're going to move a couple of miles away in a building that's the right size."

Delmarva's original founders expected 750 students would attend the school, but Vonhof said the vision committee now predicts 350 is more realistic – the facility is far larger than needed to serve its student population.

"This has been a difficult decision," said Delmarva Principal Mike Vonhof.

Student enrollment has hovered around 180 in recent years – last year there were 176 students and this year there are 184, he said.

Sussex Academy's 33,000 square-foot building on 34 acres of land has capacity for 340 students. Vonhof said Delmarva intends to build a stage, gymnasium with locker rooms and training room and evaluate athletic fields at the new location. An endowment to help keep tuition costs low will be established with remaining funds from the transaction, but Vonhof declined to estimate how much that would be.

Given a choice of acquiring an existing 126,000 square-foot facility, Sussex Academy board members decided switching schools with Delmarva was a better option, said President Dean Swingle.

"There's work that needs to be done, but not as much as building from scratch," he said.

Organizers intend to offer a ninth-grade class of 110 students for Sussex Prep in fall 2013. A high school grade will be added each year after that.

Charter schools are public schools that are free from many state regulations as long as they meet legal requirements and can show student achievement. The cost per student is determined by the home district where a charter-school student resides; the amount follows students to the charter school.

However, the state does not pay for construction of charter school buildings. In order to raise necessary funds, Sussex Prep organizers are well-aware of the importance of fundraising.

Shortly after receiving state approval for Sussex Prep, organizers contracted with Horizon Philanthropic Services to help with fundraising efforts. So far, $1.4 million has been raised for the new school.

By signing a letter of intent, Sussex Academy agreed to pay off $1.6 million debt on its existing facility and pay for $1.5 million in renovations at Delmarva Christian, according to school officials. Though Delmarva Christian appears complete from the exterior, only the gymnasium area and the lobby and classrooms at the opposite end of the building are complete. A large interior space remains unfinished.

To compensate Delmarva Christian for moving to a smaller facility, Sussex Academy will pay about $10 million over three years, Swingle said.

Sussex Prep supporters hope to raise about $4 million by June 15; Swingle said they have approached foundations, businesses and professionals to help raise funds. Sussex Academy and Sussex Prep will finance about $5.8 million needed for improvements, he said.

Swingle said Sussex Academy has contacted the state about their intentions to acquire Delmarva Christian, and there are no objections.

Sussex Academy Principal Patricia Oliphant said both schools should be commended for their visionary thinking.

"I believe both schools face this change with a sense of optimism," she said.