Cost-wary motions on SAD 40 middle school spark debate

WARREN – Attempts by a SAD 40 director Monday to restrict costs and adjust design details for the proposed new consolidated seventh- and eighth-grade middle school were ruled out of order, Business Manager Scott Vaitones said Wednesday.

After the school board had voted Monday to present building size and grade configuration plans to the state Department of Education today, Director George Reule of Union presented six handwritten motions for consideration.

When the first two motions seeking separate articles on the January middle school referendum for a larger gymnasium and stage passed, the board began to bicker. The larger gym and stage would be optional, and in the case of the latter, it would be paid for with local funds.

At Monday’s session, several board members called Reule’s motions “insane” and “an attempt to have the middle school fail.”

The four remaining motions were:

. Design the middle school with the simplest possible pitched roof with no skylights;

. Limit estimated cost to not more than $125 per square foot, excluding site work, and have the architect sign a written statement to that effect;

. With the sole exception of the optional larger gym and stage, the school be no larger in size than the state agrees to fully subsidize;

. No middle school plan be presented to the board for review and approval unless it fully complies with the previous stated motions.

The reason board Chairwoman Bonnie Micue did not allow a vote on the latter four motions is they have design implications that needed to be discussed with the architects, Vaitones said.

Today, the board may learn whether the state will even fund a consolidated seventh- and eighth-grade middle school.

SAD 40 is proposing a seventh- and eighth-grade configuration with 50,285 square feet of building space for up to 345 students. The state, however, prefers a sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade school model.