Sussex Tech plans to build new school at current site

After nearly 10 years of Sussex Technical School District asking the state to consider funding a new school to replace its aging facilities, the state has responded.

“Nine times is the charm,” Sussex Tech Superintendent Kevin Carson said with a smile.

In November, Delaware Department of Education authorized a certificate of necessity for a $177 million facility to be erected at the school’s current site. Sussex Tech issued a request for proposals Jan. 24, seeking construction management services for a 1,600-student, 349,000-square-foot new building.

Most Sussex Tech campus buildings were constructed in the 1950s, and the school opened in 1961, Carson said. For years, school officials have stated that the 60-year-old facility is in poor condition. In June, Sussex Tech announced $500,000 in maintenance projects on the campus, including replacing a leaking roof, fixing a parking lot drainage system and resurfacing the track.

Holding a piece of brick he pulled from the side of the building, Carson said the school is safe but deteriorating, and it needs to be updated with modern vocational technology to help students succeed. The school also offers evening adult education programs.

Carson said he feels Sussex Tech finally got the green light from the state because of its underground stormwater management system. Underground pipe on the site is made of terra-cotta, Carson said, and because of the moisture underground, it doesn’t hold up well.

A little over two years ago, a bus fell into a hole created by the collapse of the terra-cotta pipe system, Carson said, leading school officials to wonder in what other areas those pipes exist underground.

Funding the school

According to the certificate of necessity, the building would be 60 percent state funded and 40 percent locally funded; the state’s share is just under $107 million and the local portion is $71 million.

All Sussex County property owners will pay the local portion through property taxes; vo-tech schools are not subject to taxpayer referendum. 

The average home value in Sussex County is $244,000, Carson said, and over the four-year construction period, the average cost for property owners will be $24.70, with a year-one tax increase set at $7.60. Property owners will pay slightly more or less depending on the value of their homes, Carson said.

Bonds from previous projects will retire in 2025, 2026 and 2027, Carson said, and will help offset higher taxes resulting from new school construction.

Asking residents for funding was tough, Carson said, but the cost is a great investment in students. Noting Hodgson Vo-Tech in New Castle County also received a certificate of necessity for a new school, Carson said the state is confident in investing in vocational education, as trained personnel for these skilled careers are in high demand.

The ability to proceed with construction rests with General Assembly approval, Carson said, but the fact that the district was included in the governor’s recommended budget is a good sign. 

During a presentation of his fiscal year 2023 budget, Gov. John Carney allocated $32.5 million toward Sussex Tech’s new school, pending approval by the state Legislature in June. DOE spokesperson Alison May said projects are funded by the state over several years.

Enrollment capped

Sussex Tech serves county students in grades 9-12. Students apply via the state school choice application, which is managed by the state Data Service Center. Because a limited number of student seats is available each year, the center manages a lottery that determines acceptance.

Most freshmen who apply won’t be accepted due to space constraints, Carson said; 804 current eighth-graders have applied for 360 open seats in next year’s freshman class.

In 2019, Sussex Tech enrollment was capped at 1,250 students. In April 2021, Carney signed Senate Bill 52, which increased enrollment levels. The law states that enrollment must not exceed 1,300 students in the 2021-22 school year; 1,350 in 2022-23; 1,400 in 2023-24 and 1,450 for 2024-25 and all years after.

Carson said he looks forward to sharing conceptual drawings of the new school when they are drafted. Running the school while a new facility is being constructed will be a challenge to look forward to, Carson said.

For more information about Sussex Tech, go to sussexvt.org/highschool.

Construction management RFP submissions are due by Tuesday, Feb. 15, and notification of the award is set for March 10. A link to the RFP is available at mmp.delaware.gov/Bids.