When the King George County Board of Supervisors voted to list a bond referendum to fund a new $57 million PreK-5 elementary school on the ballot, the decision left school board members and community stakeholders with one glaring question.
“What if the referendum fails?”
King George School Board Chair David Bush reiterated this week that regardless of the results of the referendum, which will be decided on Election Day on Tuesday, the school division needs more space.
“The bottom line is that we need a preschool, and we need an elementary school,” Bush said. “I think without it, it’s going to be difficult to provide for the needs of our students and the growing population that we have … I hope the referendum does pass, but if it passes or not, the need doesn’t change.”
The new school would be at 8562 Dahlgren Road and would be built on the grounds of the county’s old middle school.
The question on the ballot reads as follows: “Shall King George County, Virginia contract a debt and issue its general obligation bonds in the maximum principal amount of Fifty-Seven Million Dollars ($57,000,000) pursuant to the Public Finance Act of 1991, as amended, for the purpose of financing of the costs of the acquisition, design, construction and equipping of a new pre-K-5th grade elementary school, that will serve the residents and students of King George County?”
County Administrator Matthew Smolnik told residents during a recent town hall meeting that $57 million is the maximum for the bond but the school could cost less. The county previously approved $21 million for a school and fire station, and the remaining balance after the fire station could go toward the school. Remaining funds from a courthouse renovation could also help build the new school. Smolnik said if the votes demonstrate that residents support the bond, the county will likely get a lower interest rate.
Some residents inquired if older school buildings could be renovated, but Smolnik said a tour of facilities showed the dwellings were in such disrepair that it would not be feasible.
“Right now, we’ve been handed a bag of crap and it’s been passed on and passed on for 15 years now,” Dahlgren District Supervisor William Davis said.
Smolnik noted that mold, asbestos, lead in water faucets and outdated electrical wiring were found among other issues at the older school buildings.
Despite those challenges, supervisors stressed they do not like the $57 million price tag for a new building and will explore all options before resorting to paying that amount.
“I don’t know why we always go back to Moseley Architects,” At-Large Supervisor David Sullins said of the firm that provided the estimate. “That seems to be our first and only choice … We always go back to Moseley and let them dictate what it’s going to be. They dictated $57 million.”
County officials noted that a new building also comes with additional operational costs.
Sullins recommended the county look into less costly steel buildings that some other localities have constructed for schools, opining they are not as unsightly as people may think. He also suggested exploring thousands of square feet of unused office space in the county or temporary trailers.
“I don’t want it to be permanent,” Sullins said. “I used to work on the [naval] base in the building called 1450T. The ‘T’ was for temporary. Been there 20 years. I don’t want that for our kids, but it does give us some cushion to work with.”
Shiloh District Supervisor Cathy Binder suggested possibly building the preschool first but carving out space in the site plans for expansion to an elementary school years later.
Superintendent Jesse Boyd gave a presentation over the summer that demonstrated that Sealston Elementary School is 1% over capacity, while King George Elementary School is at 91% capacity. Boyd provided the information in response to Supervisor Ken Stroud, who — as a citizen — commented during a school board meeting that he hasn’t observed an increase in school-aged children in the county, and thus there’s no need for additional space.
Stroud remains skeptical of the need. He said the school division should investigate whether there are students from Maryland or other nearby counties who should not be enrolled in King George schools.
He also said the county will be more diligent about managing growth.
“Population growth should not exceed our ability to pay our bills and pay our debts,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with growth as long as you can pay for it … If we get in a race here and try to keep up with Stafford, Spotsylvania and Fredericksburg, you know what’s going to happen, you’re going to be just like them … People don’t like it. That’s why they moved here.”
Bush said he voted against the resolution to move forward with a referendum because he believes elected officials should step up and support the school division — without voters telling them to do so.
Binder said the referendum would simply give her another piece of information to consider when the board eventually decides how to address the space concerns, stating, “this is giving the voters a say in what’s coming down the road.”
Said Bush: “I’d like to get away from all these politics. Let’s focus more on improving the education of the kids in King George for their success, and the success of the county.”
