Eastern Lancaster County School District

If the decision is made to construct one elementary school, multiple phases of design, public presentations, staff input, and analyses (internal and external) will be required.  While this timeline is not finalized, it will likely take 39-45 months after approval before the building would open.

• Internal analysis topics include building design, enrollment projection confirmation, staffing plans, financial projections, transportation, security, technology, etc.
• External analysis topics include traffic studies, site work and impacts, township review, public hearing, etc. 

Projecting forward, any new opening would occur for the 2029-2030 school year at the earliest.

The new facility will be located on the current Blue Ball Campus, in the geographic center of the school district.

The new building will not be on the same footprint as the existing building, meaning no interruption to education will occur during construction.

Every child will:

• Receive a high-quality education with a shared curriculum and common expectations, ensuring consistency for all students.
• Have their individualized needs be better planned for and implemented, with all elementary specialists and interventionists in the same location.

• Given our current staff profile and student enrollment, it is very unlikely that class sizes will go up.
• Our focus is on efficient staffing and program investment, not larger class sizes. We aim to better align specialized positions to support instruction.
• One elementary school will allow building and district administration to better forecast student and staffing decisions due to less variation and volatility in class sizes.

• There are several ideas and practices that will help to create a smaller “feel” in a new building for children, including grade-specific hallways, movement within the building for only specific classrooms or grades at one time, and proximity of specials and the cafeteria to our youngest grades and students.
• Movement from one grade to another will be accompanied by intentional roster development and classroom mixing, limiting the number of “new” students a child will encounter each new year.
• Partnering of younger students or classrooms with older students who can serve as guides or mentors (similar to the Blue Ball Safeties that are currently in place) to provide additional familiar faces and comfortability.

We can offer enhanced support services through dedicated sensory rooms and therapy areas, as well as specialized expertise to support Title I, Gifted Education, and English Language Learners.

• Transportation routes are being carefully planned to mirror current routes and not increase time on buses for students.
• The site plan will include specific steps and structures to ensure safe arrival and dismissal with physically separated bus, parent, and service traffic.

All students will have equal access to state-of-the-art libraries, STEM labs, and technology infrastructure in a modern, purpose-built facility.

• The new facility will feature integrated security by design, including secure vestibules, controlled entry, and internal safe zones via strategic zoning.
• Classroom, hallway and zone security components will also be considered throughout the design process.
• Technological options can be integrated into a new structure that otherwise may not be feasible in an existing building.

• We hope to offer programs like a Junior Trades Academy (plumbing, electrical), Convertible STEM Labs (robotics), Introductory Agricultural Science experiences, and Early Entrepreneurship programs.
• Pre-K classrooms will also be implemented, pending review of pilot programs.

• Early Intervention will be strengthened with better alignment from Pre-K to 5th grade and the ability to cluster students for targeted support.
• All interventionists and supports will be in one place, allowing for increased specialist alignment with student needs.

• Teachers will benefit from enhanced collaboration in Professional Learning Communities and have daily, on-site access to instructional coaches.
• Consistency of student enrollment within each cohort will allow for less teacher movement across grades or across buildings, likely increasing overall effectiveness as grade and content movement will be decreased.
• Curriculum implementation and monitoring will be enhanced, both through interactive teacher planning as well as administrative and coaching support.

• Merging into one building fosters a unified culture and a shared sense of belonging, creating one identity with stronger family connections and #SpartanPride.
• Parents with a child receiving support from a specialized program will no longer have to choose between buildings for other children in the family, keeping the family together throughout their elementary years.
• Families who move within the district will no longer have interrupted experiences for their children, as transitions across buildings will no longer occur as the result of a move.

• The projected costs of building and implementing a single, comprehensive elementary school represent the lowest long-term costs for the district.
  • Blue Ball Elementary is currently at end of life and the Board has committed to replacing it.
  • Maintaining three elementary buildings, with projected maintenance and renovation costs, will cost significantly more in the long-term, as well as limit possible upgrades, result in occupied renovations (disturbing student learning), and have a greater long-term impact on the taxpayers of the district. (For reference, please review the October, 2025 presentation on facility renovation schedules and anticipated costs.)
• Ongoing maintenance of existing buildings will exceed the costs associated with new construction costs, even factoring in the costs of borrowing.
• The financial studies completed indicate that the current worst-case scenario for a taxpayer is an increase in taxes of approximately 1% per year for six years for construction-related debt.
  • This projection is based on initial test-fit models and will be adjusted after board direction is finalized and design concepts are implemented.
  • This projection does not take into account any savings or reallocations that may be possible over the next several years.
  • Increased efficiencies associated with systems, maintenance, utilities and other cost drivers are likely to decrease total project costs and need for borrowing.
  • Based on the current median home value in ELANCO, the increase in taxes specific to debt financing would be .15 mills, or $29.85 per year.