Since 2019, considerations for a Pennsbury High School building project have primarily focused on renovating and expanding PHS West. The proposed $45M expansion of PHS West, completed nearly 20 years ago, aimed to preserve its existing structure while significantly renovating each end of the building and adding an expansion to the rear. However, in 2023, a major shift occurred. The project transitioned to a plan for a completely new build at the corner of Hood and Queen Anne, leading to new cost estimates. These estimates nearly doubled the previous renovation/expansion costs and showed that the new build would be nearly the same price.
Following the new projections that revealed similar costs, the School Board was convinced that constructing a brand new building was the best plan, despite not questioning why the renovation costs had doubled in just two and a half years. Pennsbury then enlisted its trusted bond partner, PFM, to produce multiple financing forecasts, which lowered the financing needs from $367M to $250M without providing any explanation for the reduced cost. Subsequently, Pennsbury significantly reduced the new building’s square footage to approximately 490,000 square feet, nearly a 20% reduction from the current combined square footage of the two buildings. According to Superintendent Tom Smith, as confirmed on public record, the current sketch plan and floor design will result in 25% of teachers not having a designated classroom and instead working from a mobile cart.
Pennsbury Officials Doth Protest Too Much
Over the past 18 months, Pennsbury administrators, School Board members and their vendors have maintained a unified front, consistently assuring the community on public record that the project will be completed at a cost that would not necessitate a referendum under Act 34, commonly known as the Taj Mahal Act. Below are some highlights of how they have communicated that everything is under control with the new Pennsbury High School build, despite the missteps that have led to the current Charles Boehm and PHS Stadium projects exceeding their original budget forecasts by nearly $20M, averaging out to $625 per Pennsbury taxpaying household.
D’Huy Engineering Confirms Act 34 Check Completed
KCBA During Final Presentation Stating Act 34 Compliance Is Doable
Play video starting at 1 hour, 46 minutes and 22 seconds
Joanne Steere’s Prepared Legal Statement On Referendums
The Smoking Gun Email
While Pennsbury and its vendors have repeatedly stated that Act 34 requirements will be met, different conversations were taking place behind the scenes. On April 3, 2023, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) sent out an email confirming the 2023-24 School Year Per Pupil Cost Limits for Act 34. This included the dollar amount parameter used in the formula to determine the maximum allowable building cost to avoid a referendum. Within an hour of receiving these details from PDE, Pennsbury Business Manager Chris Berdnik sent an email to Jamie Lynch at D’Huy Engineering stating, “Looks like our high school will require a referendum.”
So the question on all of our minds is, why is Pennsbury discussing with their vendors behind the scenes that it’s not possible to build without a referendum, while presenting a different story to the Pennsbury taxpayers in front of the cameras?
