Blueprint QV New High School Project » Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

Project Costs and Funding

What is the updated cost projection for the new high school? 
QVSD along with the architects at BSHM and Bohlin Cywinski Jackson and the program managers at Thomas and Williamson estimate the total cost of the new high school to be between $95-105 Million. The team has closely watched material costs and monitored material options during each phase of the design process. The project manager and designers review and reconcile cost estimates during all design phases. These strategic updates and monitoring allow the District to go into the bidding process prepared for a more informed final cost. It is incumbent upon the District to stay within the statutes of Act 1 and Act 34 as well as the borrowing capacity limits determined by the state of Pennsylvania. 
 
 
How much will the tax increase be? How is the District able to increase taxes this much?  
We intend to deliver this construction project in a budget range of $95-105 million. This range has been updated to account for construction cost escalations from projections in early 2020.  
 
The District must operate in strict adherence to three (3) statutory guard rails that together serve to establish this budget ceiling:  
  • Act 1 – passed by Harrisburg in 2006, the “Act 1 Index” is the state's measure for limiting property tax increases to a rate justified by wage and other inflationary indicators. Act 1 requires school districts to seek voter approval for tax increases greater than the annually published Act 1 Index. Essentially, it limits districts from taxing beyond inflationary rates.  
  • Act 34 – passed in 1973 and affectionately referred to as the “Taj Mahal Act”, is a law that applies to the construction of new school buildings, to new district administration office buildings, and to additions onto existing buildings. An Act 34 construction project requires a referendum if the Maximum Building Construction Cost exceeds the Aggregate Building Expenditure Standard as calculated within the Act and adjusted each fiscal year using the Building Cost Index History inflationary benchmark data that is published by Engineering News Record.  
  • Local Government Unit Debt Act (LGUDA) – recodified in 1996 and administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, the Act provides the procedure for PA’s local governmental entities to issue debt and establishes borrowing limits for each entity including schools. The calculated “Borrowing Base Capacity” indicates the extent to which a school district, according to the law, can incur additional debt. 
 
Even if this Board had interest in piercing this budget ceiling, these three guard rails serve as meaningful fiscal responsibility guidelines designed to benefit our taxpayers. Essentially, we can’t overtax, overbuild, or overborrow.  
The District will continue to adhere to a rigorous, strategic and transparent five-year planning process to ensure this community has full visibility to our anticipated annual tax increases.  
 
Though COVID-triggered inflationary pressures are real, we are encouraged with recent trending and feel confident in our ability to live beneath the Act 1 imposed index in each of the next five years, while also staying within the other spending and borrowing limits outlined above:  

 

2023-2024  

2024-2025 

2025-2026 

2026-2027 

2027-2028

QVSD Tax Increase 

2.9%

3.4%*  

3.4%* 

2.9%* 

2.9%*

Act 1 Index  

4.1%  

5.0%*  

4.3%*   

4.0%* 

TBD

 *projected  

Importantly, the annual tax increases contemplated here cover both the new HS project AND the operational budget of the District in full. For context, annual tax increases for operational needs have historically averaged around 2% in this school district. The incremental 1- 1.5 percentage point increase annually, in turn, will subsidize the construction of a new high school. The combined impact of these fiscally responsible investments will ensure a thriving and future-facing QVSD physical plant while keeping our tax rate in the bottom third of the 41 comparative school districts in Allegheny County. 
 
 
Will a referendum for the new high school be on the ballot in the future? 
The Board does not intend to go above the state-imposed financing and taxpaying limits.  
 
In Pennsylvania, school boards are limited to how much they can raise property taxes. Act 1 prevents the District from raising taxes above the Act 1 index, which is established by the PA Department of Education. The state's measure for determining property tax increases is justified by measures of statewide wage inflation (the annual increase in the statewide average weekly wage for the prior year, the increase in the Employment Cost Index for Elementary and Secondary Schools for the prior year and a school district’s local wealth). If a District wants to go above the Act 1 index for something other than an exception, a referendum is required. A referendum ballot question must ask if the voters approve raising taxes by a specified percentage above the district’s index, plus the amount of the exception (if any). 
 
There are no Act 1 exceptions to fund the high school project, nor is the District attempting to take any. 
 
How much has the District spent so far? 
On October 24, 2017, the Quaker Valley School Board approved a $10 million bond resolution, empowering the QVSD to take on debt for the purchase of land for a new high school. In November 2019, the Board authorized the issuance of up to $10 million in bonds, payable over 25 years, toward the construction of a new high school. As of the end of March 2023, approximately $9.8 million remains in the construction fund.
Bidding, Site Development, and Construction
 
Is there an updated timeline for the new high school? 
QVSD is eager to serve future students with the best possible educational opportunities. Design development is expected to be completed in May 2023. Construction documents will be completed throughout the summer and fall of 2023, and bidding for the project will open in the winter of 2023-2024. This means we can break ground as soon as 2024, with the school opening as soon as 2027. 
 
How will each phase of construction be bid?  
Bidding will begin in the winter of 2023-2024 for site development which will include excavation, backfill, grading, roads, utilities, stormwater facilities, etc. 
 
In 2025, bidding for the building will open, including the structure and site finishes such as landscaping, lighting, signage, fencing, retaining walls, etc. 
 
What steps will be taken to ensure that the site on Camp Meeting Road is safe and stable? 
Principal Civil Engineer Geoffrey Phillips explained, “The design team is committed to leaving the build site better and more stable than we found it. Utilizing design engineered backfill, careful planning of water management, and making improvements to the geotechnical aspects of the site, we are planning the site to be safe for all students, staff, and the surrounding community.”  
 
The geotechnical engineers have studied more than 100 core drilled samples to identify areas of weakness in the soil, ensuring that during site development, those areas are addressed and strengthened to bear the load of the new high school and any future additions. The current schematic design considers where areas of bedrock are located and how the land will need to be excavated and reinforced to support the building, roadways, and other weight. All work will also be approved by the Leet Township Planning Commission, ensuring checks and balances throughout the process. 
 
In addition, per the District’s agreement with Leetsdale Borough, a full-time geotechnical engineer will be on site throughout site development.  
 
What will be done to mitigate the effects of runoff during construction? 
The District is required to submit an Erosion and Sediment Pollution Control Plan to the Allegheny Conservation District for review and approval. This plan will be monitored during construction to ensure all terms and conditions are met. 
 
The Erosion and Sediment Pollution Control Program is guidance and procedures put in place by the Department of Environmental Protection in order to minimize runoff and erosion, which could result in sediment pollution to surrounding waterways. This plan's features can include vegetative stabilization, sediment barriers, filter socks and berms, rock filter, silt fence, sediment basins, inlet protection, vehicle rumble pads, vehicle wheel wash stations, etc. 
 
What will be done to mitigate the effects of stormwater once construction is complete? 
The District is required to submit a stormwater management plan to Leet Township for review and approval. In addition, a third-party engineer will review these plans. 
 
A Stormwater Management Plan employs the best management practices to control the volume, rate, discharge location, and water quality of post-construction stormwater runoff to protect and maintain the chemical, physical and biological properties of the waters of the Commonwealth. Stormwater Management features can include rain gardens, retention ponds, detention ponds, oversized subsurface drains to regulate the discharge rate, drainage swales to divert stormwater to a specific location, leave landscape buffers, etc. 
 
What will be done with the existing high school? 
The Quaker Valley School Board has not yet determined what will happen to the existing high school. The District sees this property as a very valuable asset for the school and community and does not have any immediate plans to remove it from our holdings. The athletic facilities located at the current site of the high school will remain in use. 
 
Is a stadium being built on the new high school property? 
At present, the District does not intend to relocate the stadium to the Camp Meeting Road site. A grass performance field for use by physical education courses and team practices is included in the design, as are tennis courts. The designs created by the architectural firms and engineers account for additional spaces that may be part of future considerations.  
 
Is there only one entrance drive off Camp Meeting Road to the new high school? What will the traffic patterns look like?  
There are two entrances to the site on Camp Meeting Road. The entrance on lower Camp Meeting Road can be utilized by all drivers but will be most convenient for those residing in Edgeworth, Fair Oaks, Leetsdale, Osborne, and Sewickley. The upper entrance will be most accessible to those living in Bell Acres, upper Leet Township, Sewickley Heights, and Sewickley Hills.  
 
Upon entering the campus, there will be public and visitor parking available, as well as designated student drop-off areas. Students riding the bus to school will be able to exit their buses at the building’s north entrance, where there will be a bus lane available.  
 
 
What improvements will be made to Camp Meeting Road? 
Quaker Valley School District, in conjunction with PennDOT, Allegheny County, Leetsdale Borough and Leet Township, will widen Camp Meeting Road at its intersection with Beaver Street providing overall improved mobility, traffic control, bicycle and pedestrian safety measures and associated streetscapes.  
 
The widening of portions of Camp Meeting Road will allow the District to install turning lanes approaching the entrances to the campus.  
 
The District may include two dedicated and paved paths along Camp Meeting Road for pedestrian and bicycle traffic, allowing students and community members to safely traverse Camp Meeting Road from Edgeworth, Leetsdale, and Sewickley to access the new high school. There are currently no designated pedestrian or bicycle paths in this area of Beaver Street. 
 
What sustainable energy features are included in the new school’s design? 
It is important to note that construction practices are always improving, and the “baseline” school building already exceeds the requirements of an Energy Star median building. 
 
Upon its construction, the District intends for the building to be net-zero energy ready. This means that future improvements including enhanced HVAC systems, solar energy, and more have been considered throughout the design process, and the necessary infrastructure for these systems will be available.  
 
 
What will happen with the stone house on the property known as the “Walker Estate”? 
The District communicated with the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office to determine that the home is not a registered as a historic home. Our architects have determined that the home is not structurally sound and has incurred significant damage as the house was moved from its original site and vacant for many years. 
 
The District intends to use architectural components of the home such as panes of stained glass and stonework to be repurposed in the new design to recognize its historical significance within the community. 
School Safety and Security
 
Will the District develop an emergency plan for the new high school? 
A comprehensive disaster response and emergency preparedness plan is required by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) a 35 Pa C.S.A. §7701. A plan will be developed by the appropriate stakeholders including county and local first responders. This plan must be updated annually and submitted to PDE for approval. For the safety and security of our students and staff, emergency safety plans are not promulgated to the public.