Pennsbury Will Have 1 High School In Future

FALLSINGTON, PA —One day down the road, there will no longer be East and West.

Pennsbury High School will be one building, whether it's a major renovation to the West campus or a brand-new high school on the grounds of the current high school campus.

The decision may come down to costs and the district has a meeting to discuss that in the next few weeks.

Schools Superintendent Thomas A. Smith recently provided an update to the Pennsbury community about the high school project as the timeline moves into November with plans for a new or revamped school to open in the winter of 2029.

"Over the past several months, I have shared information about the plan to move to one building on our high school campus," Smith said. His prior communications and updates can be found here.

Smith said that the district has spent the fall gathering information as to whether the project should be a major renovation to the West campus or the construction of a new high school on the grounds of the current high school campus.

On Nov. 9, Smith said two board committees will review two important aspects of a high school project:

• 6 p.m. —The Board Finance and Partnership Committee will review the financial and tax implications of a renovation or new construction.
• 7:30 p.m.— The Board Facilities Committee will review the scope of the project. Members of the Design Discussion Group, an ad-hoc group of parents, community members, students, and staff, will provide feedback regarding the project.

The meetings will be held in the Fallsington School Gymnasium and are open to all members of the public.

"We believe this project will have a positive impact on our students and staff for many years to come," Smith said.

Pennsbury has held two community forums for residents of the school district to provide feedback.

On June 15, the school board approved a 2023-24 final school budget that included a 4.1 tax increase tagged to a new high school or high school renovations.

School officials said the tax increase was tagged as a "downpayment" for either the renovation of Pennsbury High School West at a $166.4 million cost or the building of a brand new high school, which would cost $213.2 million.

Members of the Pennsbury High School Project committee recently visited two school districts to see their newly constructed high schools.

The ad-hoc committee —consisting of students, staff, parents, and community members —is exploring options as the district considers a move to a one-high school model.

Pennsbury High School Project Schedule:

July - November 2023

• Assemble Design Discussion Committee
• Community Forums
• Site Surveys, GeoTech Investigation, Hazardous Materials Investigation, Demographic Study

November/December 2023

• RFP for Architect and School Design

January 2024 - June 2025

• Assemble a second Design Committee
• Conduct visits to recently completed high schools
• Community presentations
• Design and construction approvals

Summer 2025 —Construction starts

Winter 2029 —New Building Opens