Warsaw School Board will meet at 7 p.m. today in the Washington Elementary School gym to consider last month's proposal to build two new elementary schools.

At the May school board meeting, Dr. Dave McGuire, superintendent, proposed closing Atwood, Claypool, Jefferson and Silver Lake elementaries and building two new four-section schools - one in Winona Lake, to replace Jefferson, and one in Prairie Township, to replace Atwood and to take some of the burden off Leesburg and Harrison elementaries.

At a meeting in Claypool June 9, it was announced that McGuire had changed his proposal and was suggesting that a new three-section school be built in Claypool, for students from there and from Silver Lake, along with the new Jefferson school. Nothing was proposed for Prairie Township.

Tonight, the board will consider two resolutions: first, a 1028 resolution, required by the state when a building project is under consideration.

The resolution submitted to the school board states, in part: "Be it resolved, that the two new elementary schools will be constructed for the purpose of providing an improved educational program and environment for elementary school students ..."

However, it does not specify the size of the schools, where they will be built or what schools will be closed.

The 1028 resolution does state that total project costs will be $30 million, which will be "funded by one or more of the following: Capital Projects Fund, Common School Fund Loan, General Obligation Bond Issue and Building Corporation Bond Issue with an anticipated impact on the combined Debt Service Fund and CPF tax rate of zero cents per $100 assessed valuation based on an estimated $1,687,536,300 assessed valuation beginning in 2004."

Following the vote on the 1028 resolution, the board will consider a preliminary determination resolution, in which the board decides to enter into a lease for the construction of the two new schools.

That resolution also specifies that the lease term will be for a maximum of 18 years with an annual lease rental of $4.175 million. That amount is based on a maximum amount of bonds of $30 million, with "estimated interest rates ranging from 2.35 percent to 5 percent and total interest costs of $17.7 million."

Besides construction costs, "the school corporation expects to incur annually $585,000 in operating costs for which a new facility appeal may be sought and currently expects to appeal for an increased adjusted base levy to pay these estimated costs."

At tonight's meeting, the board also will hear presentations from the architect, Dean Illingworth, of Schmidt and Associates; the construction manager, Jerry Gibson, of Construction Control; and a financial discussion by Jim Elizondo, of City Securities. They also will take questions and comments from the public. [[In-content Ad]]