New building sought for Sussex Central High School

Indian River School District officials hope the third time’s a charm for voters to approve funding for a new Sussex Central High School in a referendum set for Thursday, Feb. 13.

If approved, the referendum will result in a tax increase of 28 cents per $100 of assessed value, or about $63 for the average district property owner, and will be phased in over a three-year period. 

Indian River Superintendent Mark Steele said because the district will be retiring previous 20-year bond issues, the district will be able to pay for the new school by increasing property taxes for only three years. “The time has never been better for residents to approve this measure, as the district’s economic climate will provide the best possible value for taxpayers,” Steele said. 

After the 2023 fiscal year, the debt service rate will decrease each year until construction bonds are retired. The remaining costs of the project, about $88 million, will be funded by the state.

Steele said overcrowding in the district’s northern end is reaching a crisis stage. More than 1,800 students attend Sussex Central, which is designed for 1,500 students; 22 teachers don’t have classrooms and must move their supplies from room to room on a cart. 

Ten outdoor portable classrooms are already being used at Sussex Central. Local funds must be used to lease the classrooms, which are costly and create safety and security concerns because they are outside the main building.

At approximately 310,000 square feet, the new school will have a capacity of 2,200 students and be built on district-owned property next to the existing school. 

Steele said if the referendum fails, the district may have to lease more outdoor portable classrooms and redraw attendance boundaries to shift more students to the southern end of the district. 

Simply put, some students who currently live in the Sussex Central feeder pattern may be shifted south to the Indian River High School feeder pattern, Steele said. 

Steele said the annual cost of additional portable classrooms will deplete the district’s operating reserves. “The district would be forced to host a current expense referendum to replenish operating funds,” Steele said. “A current expense tax increase will be permanent and not phased out over time like a debt service tax increase.”

This referendum comes after two earlier referendums failed. In February, voters rejected a referendum to build a new high school, add classrooms to other schools and increase operating expenses. In May, voters defeated a referendum for a new high school and classroom additions at Indian River High and Selbyville Middle.

In addition, the district plans to renovate two existing schools that will not require a property tax increase. Millsboro Middle will move into the existing Sussex Central, and the current Millsboro Middle will be converted into an elementary school. Attendance areas in Georgetown, Millsboro and Long Neck will be redrawn to alleviate overcrowding. 

Indian River School District residents who are U.S. citizens at least 18 years of age are eligible to vote. Voter registration is not required, but residents must provide proof of identification or residency. Absentee ballots are available by mail until noon Feb. 7 and in person until noon Feb. 12. Affidavits are available at all district schools. For more information, call the Department of Elections at 302-856-5367.

Voting on Thursday, Feb. 13, is from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at East Millsboro, Georgetown, Long Neck and Lord Baltimore elementaries, Selbyville Middle and Indian River High. In case of inclement weather, the referendum will be held on Thursday, Feb. 20.

For information, call Indian River’s Referendum Hotline at 302-436-1079 or go to irsd.net/referendum.