Read more: Local, Economy, Education, Liverpool, Schools, Renovations, Budget
LIVERPOOL -- As part of a renovation project, improvements will be made to Liverpool Elementary School and Liverpool Middle School. Classrooms will be remodeled, the gym expanded, and the parking lot repaved.
But some question how this $34 million project can go on. The district is facing a $10.3 million budget gap. There's a proposal to cut 130 positions, including teachers and close Wetzel Road Elementary School.
"There's a point of no return on a project such as this and I think that point was quite awhile ago," says Dr. Nick Johns, superintendent of the Liverpool School District.
Dr. Johns says more than $2 million has already been spent on coming up with the plans for the project. The money being used for the renovations does not come from the same pot as the money for the budget.
"The important thing to note is they are two different streams of money," Dr. Johns says. He also points out that the capital improvement project was voted on by taxpayers. The superintendent says 61 percent of the money for the project is coming from Albany, while 39 percent is local.
Projections show a steady enrollment decline over the next decade, but the superintendent says they won't need to close another building for a few years so money spent on capital improvements is worth it. The district will be opening bids for the project on February 23rd.
