BTSD Planning Meeting On Progress Of New Schools

The construction of three new elementary schools in Bristol Township will be the focus of a special meeting sometime next month.

Superintendent Dr. Sam Lee told LevittownNow.com that a meeting to update the public on the projects will be held in May. An exact date was not set, but district officials will be meeting internally about the construction of three new 1,300-student schools later this month.

While district officials have not recently commented on how far behind work on the new buildings at the sites of Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary School on Mill Creek Road and James Buchanan Elementary School on Haines Road is, it is no secret that the construction schedule is behind.

Rumors have been abound in recent weeks about the projects and their timeline, yet district officials have remained mum during school board meetings.

The schools at the Emerson and Buchanan sites are slated to open in September 2015, with the Devine building set to open in September 2016.

Of note, Bristol Township has not yet approved a school calendar for 2015-2016, which many residents have speculated is because the two schools are behind scheduled.

At previous meetings, district officials have noted that opening the two schools in September 2015 is important and would help save the cash-strapped school district money by consolidating six schools into two more efficient buildings.

District officials recently said the two buildings have not seen many expensive charge orders. However, any work overages will likely cause added cost to the schools, which are estimated to be roughly $33 million each.

The school board is expected to vote on the 2015-2016 calendar before the end of June.