When it comes to building our community’s second high school,
the Gilroy Unified School District is in a bind.
Costs at 2012 buildout estimated to be upwards of $180 million
When it comes to building our community’s second high school, the Gilroy Unified School District is in a bind.
The costs for building out both phases of Christopher High School (1,800 students) – now estimated upwards of $180 million – are a far cry from the early estimates of about $39 million to buy the land and build the first phase of our community’s second high school for 900 students.
On paper and explained, the yawning chasm between the original number and $180 million (a 2012 completion date and inflationary costs now factored in) makes “sense”, but it’s going to be a tough pill for the community to swallow. The district will likely choose to go to the ballot box for another bond this November, at least in part to successfully complete the first phase.
Original estimate to build phase I for 900 students: $39 million
What happened? The land cost $20 million, not $6 million, construction costs went through the roof between 2001 and 2008, cost increases were exacerbated by a lengthy process to determine “what kind of educational facility the community needed”, and the estimate made when voters were asked to pass Measure I to fund, in large part, the new high school, became, over time, wholly irrelevant.
Then came the kicker. GUSD planned to backfill any cash shortfall by selling land. The old Las Animas School site, the donated land from Don Christopher and the school farm are all collateral. But the economic nosedive fueled by the subprime mortgage crisis made that option disappear, and the district is left in a lurch. Call it a perfect storm.
Thursday night as we went to press the school board wrestled with the situation and considered possibilities for what to do next (see the story on the Web today). There may be some cost cutting options, but the project is well underway and the district is locked into a contract – a contract designed to protect against cost overruns – with a builder.
Important to keep perspective on how the final tab will be paid
It’s important to note a few things about the costs. First, the original estimates only included phase one. Second, a significant portion of the final cost will be born by state matching funds. Third, the city is contributing millions to two shared facilities, a gym and an aquatics center.
All that information will be center stage as the district grapples with this challenge and reaches out to the community for assistance.
Act now
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