Wallingford Swarthmore School District

The long awaited $18 million renovation/expansion of Wallingford Elementary School is under way. The start of preparatory site work began on Friday May 27.

Reynolds Construction Co., which is managing the project for the school district, reported that between now and the end of the academic year the emphasis will be on the mobilization of equipment; the initiation of erosion/sediment controls; the installation of temporary fencing; and the stripping of topsoil.

Once classes are done and through mid-August, the focus will be on site piping; removal of an oil tank; the abatement of asbestos in existing structures; and the preparation of the building pad for an addition to be constructed on the south side of the property.

The next phase, lasting from this summer through summer 2012, will be the construction of the addition.

A final stage will be renovations to those portions of Wallingford Elementary that will remain in place. That work is expected to be wrapped up in time for the start of school in the fall of 2012.

Workers will be able to park at the school when classes are out. However, once school resumes in the fall, they will be expected to make use of parking at the Spencer House, on the Strath Haven Middle School campus, and shuttle back and forth to Wallingford Elementary.

Under plans to breathe new life into Wallingford Elementary, the district intends to remove a three-story academic wing on the site’s north side and build a new two-story wing on the south side, where a playground was previously located.

The north side would then be used for a new drop-off/pick-up area; expanded parking, with additional 14 spots anticipated; and a grassy lawn area.

Other elements of the project would be a new combined gym/cafeteria, which would be added at the rear of the school, and more space for administrative offices.

Total square footage for the building would be 43,380 square feet upon completion.

The Wallingford Elementary overhaul is the latest effort by the district to update aging school facilities. A $54-million renovation/expansion of Strath Haven Middle School was substantially completed last year — some finishing touches are still being applied.

Prior to that, the district completed an overhaul of Swarthmore Rutledge Elementary School and, before, it renovated and expanded Strath Haven High School.

The next slated renovation is an updating project for Nether Providence Elementary School.

During its most recent meeting, the school board backed a proposed 2011-2012 final budget, which contains a 1.4 percent tax increase, by a vote of 8-0. This vote reaffirms the plans to operate within the state mandated cap on spending. A final vote on the $65.8 million spending plan will take place in June.

The tax hike adheres to the Act 1 spending cap for the district which is a ceiling set by the state, using a formula tied to the rate of inflation. It also represents the lowest increase in recent memory and is part of steadily declining pattern of tax boosts in the district.

Superintendent Richard Noonan listed Wallingford-Swarthmore tax hikes dating back the previous five fiscal years.

2006 – 2007 8.0%

2007 – 2008 6.0%

2008 – 2009 5.8%

2009 – 2010 2.8%

2010 – 2011 2.9%

The district could have taken more than $1.9 million in exceptions to Act 1, but opted not to do so. Areas that qualify for these waivers include retirement contributions and special education expenses.

Board member Michael Rinaldi also said it was a “real accomplishment” for Wallingford-Swarthmore to stay below the index considering many other districts are struggling to do so.

In March, Noonan discussed how a reduction in state funding would impact the district. He cited those cuts again, pointing out the cuts would include a roughly $240,000 drop in the Basic Education Subsidy; about $200,000 less in Accountability Block Grant funds; and a reduction of nearly $200,000 in Social Security reimbursements for workers hired after July 1, 1994.

In addition, the spending plan would eliminate partial reimbursements for students who live in the district but attend charter schools. That would equate to a decrease of about $46,000.

One way the district plans to cope with the cuts will be to end an extended-day kindergarten program, which sought to target special-needs students at an early age, since it was paid for with Accountability Block Grant funds.

Wallingford Elementary School Expansion Underway

Wallingford Swarthmore Board Proposes 1.4% Tax Hike

S. Clark Kendus