Additionally, 97% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch and 47% are enrolled in the English Language Learning program. More than half identify as Black, Indigenous or people of color. The school district serves more than 850 students of diverse backgrounds. “Then the final pieces are the district office, the support services office and the library.” “We’re working feverishly over the summer to get the renovation of the elementary school completed for the opening of school,” McMannon said.
In partnership with ReArch and TruexCullins, the district designed a new campus that will almost double the old footprint and include a new roof with solar panels, as well as energy-efficient windows, lighting and heating and cooling systems. Other funding sources include $4.7 million in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund reimbursements for HVAC materials, $644,000 in congressional earmarks to fund an in-school health clinic, $100,000 raised by the Heart of Winooski Foundation and $1.06 million in available district funds, according to a memo Mace sent to district officials on June 8.Ĭosts rose because of pandemic supply-chain disruptions, previously undiscovered underground conditions, asbestos remediation and the need to replace all underground plumbing, according to the memo. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development program.
The district is looking at a record-low interest rate of 2.25% over 30 years for the loan from the U.S. “I think that has actually positioned the district well to navigate both the period of uncertainty but also to take advantage of a lot of funding opportunities available and historically low interest rates.” “So Covid’s been a tale of good news and bad news for us,” said Nicole Mace, finance and operations director for the Winooski school district. However, Covid-19 - which arrived in Vermont in March 2020 - also elicited new funding opportunities that dropped the amount Winooski had to borrow to $55 million, officials told VTDigger this week. Voters approved borrowing up to $57.8 million in 2019 but pandemic-related delays and expenditures have driven the cost up to $61.6 million - about 6.6% over the approved bond amount. However, indoor systems like electrical, air, heat, plumbing and other mechanical features needed upgrades, according to a 2018 facility evaluation report.
Construction started in mid-2020 and includes 75,000 square feet of new construction and a facelift for 125,000 square feet of the existing buildings, which are structurally sound.