6th Elementary School In Tredyffrin/Easttown Under Review

TREDYFFRIN/EASTTOWN, PA — Tredyffrin Easttown School District is exploring the possibility of constructing a sixth elementary school in response to a projected enrollment increase.

Dr. Richard Gusick, superintendent of schools, provided an update at a Sept. 26 school board meeting on the benefits of constructing a sixth elementary school.

Gusick said that no decision has been made on whether a new school will be built.

Building a sixth elementary school

The superintendent said the sixth school is being considered because of current and projected enrollment levels.

The enrollment this year in elementary school to date is 2,332, which is considered high. The total target for each school is 420-470.

These are the enrollments at each school:

• Beaumont: 454
• Devon: 382
• Hillside: 428
• New Eagle: 502
• Valley Forge 566

Full-day kindergarten

Tredyffrin/Easttown district has half-day kindergarten, noting that without full-day kindergarten, some students go to other schools for full-day kindergarten, resulting in first graders coming in at different levels at first grade.
He said the district does not have space to provide a full day of kindergarten.
The superintendent said 90 percent of Pennsylvania schools have full-day programs.
Full-day kindergarten is not an option if the district does not construct a sixth elementary school, according to the superintendent.

Building a sixth elementary school

The estimate for constructing a new school is $53 million, which includes construction costs, price escalation, and a contingency budget. The cost does not include an estimated costs of $7 million.

He said no site has been selected to build a school. The district owns some land on First Avenue in Berwyn, and Jefferson Lane in Chesterbrook, and is actively looking for other sites in the district.

Gusick said that the district has expanded each of our elementary schools over the last 20 years and he does not see that as an option.

The superintendent said building a sixth elementary school would alleviate the need to redistrict every five years.

Advantages of building a sixth school:

• Additional space for full-day kindergarten
• More opportunities for individual instruction
• Less redistricting
• Shorter bus routes
• Less traffic at school
• Eliminate Hillside students being split up for middle school
• More space for group meetings

Some residents expressed concern about stormwater issues with the construction of a new school on Jefferson Lane.