More QZAB money is on the way.
Superintendent Brandon Hufnagel informed the Warren County School district board of directors on Monday night that the Pennsylvania Department of Education has awarded the school district an additional $5.2 million in low to no-interest Qualified Zone Academy Bonds.
The money will be used to fund construction projects at Beaty and Eisenhower.
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Times Observer photo by Josh Cotton
Deliberation
Warren County School District board of directors (L-R) Mary Anne Paris, Tom Knapp and Jack Werner, as well as Ruth Huck, board secretary, look on during Monday night’s meeting at the Warren County Career Center.
"This is a very good thing," Hufnagel said. "By receiving this it puts the Beaty project back on track (and will) get the Sheffield project way back on track."
Hufnagel publicly praised Dr. Norbert Kennerknecht, the district's director of buildings and grounds, for his work in securing the funding.
"(I) congratulate Norbert because he pushed and pushed and pushed to get this," he said.
The award will also save the district some money overall.
"It was going to cost us more money to take a general obligation note than what the $5.2 (million) in QZAB money will cost us on payback."
Qualified Zone Academy Bonds, according to the U.S. Department of Education, are interest-free bonds that the school district will have 15 years to pay back.
"The money is part of an annual $400 million federal program, appropriated by Congress," according to the Department of Education's website. "Every state's share is administered by the State Department of Education, which allocates the money."
To be eligible for QZAB funding, a school has to have at least 35 percent of its students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a 10 percent private business contribution, and an education plan for the use of the funds.
This funding comes from the fiscal year 2010 allocation, Hufnagel said.
The Beaty project will cost approximately $16.2 million, but the cost of the Eisenhower project is up in the air and won't be determined until bids are received.
Hufnagel said on Monday that some test drilling has already commenced at Eisenhower and the project will "hopefully" be going out for bids sometime this month.