Policy 7.136

Maximum Cost Per Student Station

1. Purpose.-- Pursuant to Fla. Stat. § 1003.62(2), this Policy implements Waiver # 3 under charter district status, approved by the State Board of Education ("SBE") on January 21, 2003, providing exemption from specified aspects of Fla. Stat. § 1013.64(6) concerning maximum cost per student station. The Policy should be revised as necessary to maintain consistency with the Charter School District Contract with the SBE and should be repealed if charter district status is not renewed. The scope of the exemption and the practices authorized to replace the waived statutory requirements are set forth below, substantially as presented to the SBE.

2. Rationale for the Exemption.-- Special facilities such as vocational education laboratories and hurricane shelters, which are more expensive to build, result in exceeding the statutory cap on maximum cost per student station as set forth in Fla. Stat. § 1013.64(6). Other factors such as small schools on tight urban sites, Building Code requirements for 140 mph winds, and a booming construction market all result in construction prices higher than most other areas of the state. The School District has built, and will continue to build, schools that are frugal and provide the maximum cost efficiency to the public, while providing enriching programs that have proven to be best practices for achieving academic success. To date almost all new schools have been constructed within the maximum cost per student station.

3. Approved Alternative Practice.-- Prior to submitting construction contracts to the School Board for award, staff will meet with the Construction Oversight and Review Committee ("CORC") to review project costs. Staff will identify to CORC and the School Board all projects that would exceed the maximum cost per student station and which criterion, described below, would justify exercising the waiver. Staff will provide separate cost information relative to each of the criteria to the extent practical. Change orders for these projects will also be properly identified and discussed with CORC. Any costs exceeding the statutory maximum cost per student station will be funded locally either through Certificates of Participation, impact fees, or other local means.

4. Criteria.-- The following criteria will be used to determine when this waiver will be exercised:

1. Career Academy Clusters.-- Secondary schools that contain career laboratories exceeding 5% of the facilities square footage. The cost of constructing laboratories for programs such as construction, television, culinary arts and information technology, for example, can be 25% - 150% more expensive to build. This is due to the infrastructure needs (i.e. floor loads, electrical capacity, cooling demand, etc.) and the amount of space needed per student to ensure a safe work environment.

2. Emergency Shelters.-- Fla. Stat. § 1013.372 requires that school districts build certain facilities as emergency shelters. The cost of making a school an emergency shelter can be upwards of $1 million or more, for special holding tanks, extra valves and controls, and reinforced construction.

3. Schools in Wind Zones 120 mph and Higher.-- Only eight of the state’s counties have wind zones at or above 130 mph and only six counties have wind zones at or above 140 miles per hour. Palm Beach County has wind zones of 120, 130, and 140 mph, as indicated in the wind-borne debris map published by the Department of Community Affairs and the Florida Building Commission. In accordance with the new Florida Building Code which became effective March 1, 2002, schools constructed in these areas are required to have features such as specially-designed roofs, wall panels, and foundations, to prevent wind uplift. They also require special windows and doors to stop projectiles. These features add approximately 15-20% to the cost of constructing a new school.

4. Small Urban Schools.-- Small schools, defined as elementary schools of 500 student stations or less, middle schools of 700 student stations or less and high schools of 900 student stations or less, cost more to build because economies of scale are lost when core facilities and infrastructure costs are spread over a smaller number of students. For example, an elementary school of 500 students still requires a principal, assistant principal, clinic, cafeteria, media center, playground, and all of the other features required by an elementary school of 970 students.

5. Schools on Small Sites Requiring Three or More Stories.-- Schools that are built three or more stories high cost more because they must meet more stringent Building Code requirements for Type II Construction. These requirements more than offset savings from reduced roof area and fewer foundations. The additional costs are incurred because all structural members must be made of non-combustible material and must also have a higher fire resistance than one and two-story schools.

5. Impact on Students.-- It is anticipated that implementation of this Policy will assist in providing all students with a rigorous academic program necessary to meet graduation requirements, as well as providing them with a wide range of career training programs; and the District will build comprehensive facilities with the capacity to meet program needs in academic and career training areas. The schools will operate as "schools within a school" to provide students with varied program options, while maintaining focused support for students in program clusters. It is anticipated that providing a range of options to meet the students’ needs in a comprehensive school will result in decreased dropout rates, higher student achievement, and higher graduation rates. Emergency shelters do not provide a direct impact specifically to students; however, they do serve an important and necessary community function and they are required by law. If emergency shelters were not required, funding could be used for other capital needs to reduce class size or provide other necessary facilities. The same rationale applies to building schools in 120 mph wind zones. The District typically builds new elementary schools for 970 students, middle schools for 1300 students and high schools for 2500 students, all as "schools within a school;" however, there are situations in which the District has determined it necessary to build smaller schools. The District has several elementary schools and a few middle and high schools that are less than 500, 700, and 900 students, respectively; and studies have shown that smaller schools provide advantages to students, including higher attendance, better performance, and lower incidence of violence.

6. Monitoring and Reporting.-- At the conclusion of each construction project, staff will report final cost to CORC and the School Board. Staff will identify the amount above the maximum cost per student station by subtracting the maximum cost per student station from the total project cost including change orders. Staff will also monitor graduation rates at schools that incorporate career clusters to determine how the graduation rates compare with comparable schools that do not include career clusters. Academic achievement, as measured by standardized testing, will be compared between the smaller and standard-sized schools to determine if there is a positive impact on students.