Gil Trenum, Brentsville representative on the Prince William County School Board, pitched a tall order at Wednesday’s meeting: to try to bring the cost of the 13th high school down to $100 million and at the same time accommodate 500 more students.
Trenum was in agreement with Superintendent Dr. Steven Walts who said he and his staff would like to start over with a new design that might better accommodate the student population. He would also like to reduce the proposed price on the school from an estimated $118 plus million to somewhere closer to $90-100 million. They would further like the school to look more like Patriot and the 12th high school than Battlefield and Freedom, which have less natural light.
“First off, with regards to the prototype model plan, I realized I was one of the people who was pushing that decision,” Trenum said. “I said last spring, I’m not really concerned with which model, which prototype, which floor plan. I really have two main concerns: number one is budget, and number two is the number of seats.”
Trenum said building a school with a capacity for only 2,000 students would not meet the needs of the growing community. “It’s going to be full when it opens; we know that.”
However, Trenum was also concerned with the cost of the school. He wanted staff to look over plans and work with architects to find a way for the school to be bigger and have much of what the community liked about Patriot, all at a smaller price tag. He suggested that they create a hybrid model combining aspects of the Battlefield/Freedom model and the Patriot model, or cutting cost in other places that were not a priority.
“If we can do that, I think we could be successful. We could be successful for the students, successful for the teachers and successful for the tax-payers,” Trenum said.
Responses from School Board members were mainly positive, although some had their doubts that it could be done.
Lillie Jessie of the Occoquan District liked the idea. She said she abstained on the last vote because she felt it had become too political, but she is always in favor of optimizing student learning. Jessie said she believes they need to be building schools for 21st century learning. To do so requires using a model that is more student-centric rather than teacher-centric. It also means incorporating technology. Jessie added that she would like teachers to meet with staff to provide input on the design.
Alyson Satterwhite of the Gainesville District was also on board for staff to consider the new hybrid plan.
“This was a really hot topic when we last discussed it, and I see this as a great way to compromise and get the best for our students, save money for the taxpayers, and save money in our budget that we need for other projects as well as more much-needed seats for students. I can definitely support this,” Satterwhite said.
However, Dr. Michael Otaigbe, school board member from the Coles District was skeptical and felt that Trenum was simply grandstanding with this idea.
“Mr. Trenum made a big deal out of this last time. He’s fond of doing that, trying to create a name for himself that he is the fiscal guy on this board. If we are going to change things around, I want to be sure what he is asking us to do,” Otaigbe said.
However, it is more likely that Trenum was responding to his constituents' requests, which are evident on social media. Citizens have requested both a larger school and a smaller price tag.
Chairman Milt Johns said he does not believe Trenum is the right person to judge how realistic his request is, and redirected the question to Dr. Walts.
Walts said he would be willing to direct his staff to look over the plans. He explained that as he understands it, the two aspects that the community and the School Board like most about Patriot is its natural light and larger sized classrooms. However, Walts said he could not promise they could get everything they wanted for $100 million, but he would try.
Satterwhite agreed with Walts’ summary of what was most important to the community, saying that she believes that natural light does improves learning outcomes for students.
But Johns was skeptical they could increase capacity, add more light and reduce cost at the same time. He said he voted for Patriot and he voted for the 12th high school so that the students and the community could have what they need for 21st century learning.
“Designs evolve, instructional technology has evolved, educational theory has evolved, and I think Patriot and the 12th high school are closer to the state-of-the-art and the best we could provide,” Johns said.
However, Johns did not oppose having staff negotiate with architects and engineers to bring the cost down. He is just doubtful that it could be done.
“We’re not going to get the 12th high school or Patriot for 2,500 students for $100 million. I don’t think anyone should have that notion,” he said.
Meanwhile, Betty Covington of the Potomac District seemed hopeful that the School Division could at least negotiate. She noted that people negotiate when they purchase a home or a car, and this should be no different. She noted they should cut “bells and whistles” from the design.
Trenum noted that no one was voting on the high school that night. He also noted that the land for the 13th high school, which would be on the Stone Haven property, has yet to be approved. If it is not approved, the School Division will have to look into other options for a school site.
School Board members Lisa Bell and Loree Williams were both absent from the meeting.
No vote was taken on the matter.
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