Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Chances for BF School remodel may be slim

Melissa Hubbell News-Bulletin Staff Writer; mhubbell@news-bulletin.com

Interim Superintendent Bernard Saiz said it looks like there is about a 15 percent chance of the Bosque Farms Construction project getting funded this year.

The New Mexico State Public Education Department Public Schools Facility Authority (PSFA) visited Bosque Farms Elementary May 19 to do a site assessment to determine if it would remain on the state list to receive funding for the construction project.

The PSFA has a list of projects for potential funding in the state. The list is based on need. Bosque Farms Elementary is currently number 33 on the list.

Saiz said that the PSFA has about $46 million available for projects and will have about $151 million once they receive stimulus funding. However, there is also a $311 million backlog of projects that have been promised to school districts throughout the state.

"There were a few recommendations made to our architect regarding the project, but it was determined that BFE would continue through the process to determine if funding would be available to us in July of 2009," Saiz said in a letter to parents on the district's official Web site.

The PSFA invited the Los Lunas School Administration to Farmington June 18 to make a presentation on the Bosque Farms construction project to the Public School Capital Outlay Commission. The PSCOC is the commission that will make the ultimate decision on funding for this project.

Saiz said the district should know by July whether Bosque Farms received the funding. Because there is still a chance the district could receive the $14 million funding for the project, Saiz said that school needs to be move-ready. This means that all teachers must have their classrooms packed and ready to move this summer. If the district does not receive the money, school will start Aug. 14 and teachers must unpack their classrooms.

Saiz said if the funding is awarded, the targeted date for construction to begin will be in mid-September.

When discussions of the Bosque Farms Elementary construction were taking place in February and March, the Board of Education and administration were considering two possible sites to move the 450 students to until the project is completed. One site was Katherine Gallegos, which already has 32 portables on its campus. The other site was the Blue School located east of Daniel Fernandez Elementary School.

"KGE at first seemed the most logical site since it already housed all the portables that we would need for DFE. When I was named the interim superintendent of Los Lunas School on April 28th, I discovered that movement of the portables from KGE was already built into the contract for the current construction of that site," Saiz said, adding that this is a more affordable option for the district and closer to Bosque Farms.

A survey was sent out to BFE parents asking, in the event BFE were to receive funding, if they would rather have their child move to Katherine Gallegos or the Blue School. Eighty-three percent of the surveys have been returned, with 77 percent in favor of a move to the Blue School over the KG campus.

Saiz said the Blue School at one time held more than 800 students on its campus, has all utilities available and makes more sense than any other option.

If the funding is not awarded for the Bosque Farms project, the board of education will decide whether to hold the amount of funds the district would have used to match the PSFA money or use it elsewhere in the district.

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