INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Next school year the Indian River School District will spend, nearly down to the last dime, the property tax money levied for capital outlay — 1.50 mills, which is projected to bring in nearly $24 million.
The rest of the school board’s levies, which total nearly 6.50 mills, brings in about $80 million and is earmarked for school operations.
Carter Morrison, the school district’s chief financial officer, and Scott Sanders, director of facilities, planning and construction, told school board members how the $24 million will be spent during a budget workshop on Tuesday.
The school district acts as a pass-through agency for charter schools, Morrison said, which get none of the local capital outlay tax revenue. By law, the school district is not required to share the 1.50 millage with charters. Morrison said charter schools get capital outlay money from the state. The five local charter schools will share nearly $660,000 next school year, the division to be determined by the number of students enrolled at each school.
The largest portion of the $24 million will go toward debt payments, which are $11.4 million next year. The school district owes about $133 million in certificates of participation bond issues.
The district recently borrowed about $13 million over 15 years for the two major capital projects to be completed over the next year. One project is phase two of the Vero Beach High School Citrus Bowl renovation. It will include tear-down and replacement of bathrooms, locker rooms, side bleachers, visitors’ press box and restoration of the football field. The second project is Beachland Elementary, which includes removal of several old buildings to be replaced with a two-story classroom building and a cafetorium. The cost of those projects is included among the yearly debt payments.
About $3.5 million will be used to pay maintenance personnel salaries.
Portable buildings’ lease payments account for $800,000 in capital outlay spending next year.
Ten school buses will be purchased for $1.1 million.
About $500,000 will be spent on technology.
That leaves a little over $6.7 million for smaller capital projects, repairs and maintenance next year.
Chief among those projects is hooking Fellsmere Elementary’s 700 building to the central chiller plant. Gifford Middle School’s guidance department, media center and classrooms will be renovated. Galvanized water lines at Sebastian River Middle School and Vero Beach High School’s Freshman Learning Center will be replaced. The Freshman Learning Center’s locker room and restrooms will also be renovated.
District-wide projects include “security enhancements,” such as creating one point of entry, camera installations and fencing. Roof replacements, asphalt paving in driveways and parking areas and playground replacements are also district-wide. Replacing carpeted areas with tile is another focus, which will increase health and air quality, Sanders said.
