DISTRICTS TO RAISE DEVELOPER FEES FOR NEW SCHOOLS.Byline: Mary Schubert Daily News Staff Writer In January, the school district will increase by about 25 percent the fees it charges home builders to cover construction costs of new high schools and junior highs to serve swelling swelling /swell·ing/ (swel´ing) 1. transient abnormal enlargement of a body part or area not due to cell proliferation. 2. an eminence, or elevation. local enrollments. During the 1997-98 fiscal year, developer fees brought in $3.8 million in revenue to the William S William, crown prince of Germany William or Frederick William, 1882–1951, crown prince of Germany, son of William II. In World War I he commanded (1914) an army on the Western Front and was nominal commander in the German attack . Hart Union High School District, said Bill Maddigan, the district's director of business and fiscal services. That sum was higher than most years because residential construction activity was high, he said. The amount of money the new fees, which take effect Jan. 1, will generate can't be known for certain because the school district doesn't control the pace at which developers build homes, Maddigan said. The Hart district has 15,000 students at its four junior highs, four high schools and one continuation high school A continuation high school is an alternative to a comprehensive high school primarily for students who are considered at-risk of not graduating at the normal pace. The requirements to graduate are the same but the scheduling is more flexible to allow students to earn their credits . The district has plans to build two more junior highs and two more high schools in the next few years, and developer fees will help generate some of that revenue to pay for construction. Developers are required to reimburse re·im·burse tr.v. re·im·bursed, re·im·burs·ing, re·im·burs·es 1. To repay (money spent); refund. 2. To pay back or compensate (another party) for money spent or losses incurred. local school districts for the new students who move into the homes they build and attend neighborhood schools. The Hart district fee hikes were approved Wednesday by the school board. The rates are adjusted every year based on three factors that influence them - land values, construction costs and the student ``generation'' rate, Maddigan said. In the past year, Maddigan's report to the school board stated, the value of land on which the district wants to build its next schools rose 22 percent. The construction cost index grew by 5 percent, he said. Meanwhile, the number of new students varies depending on the type of residence - condominium/townhome/apartment or single-family house - built in the district in a given year. Last year, new developments generated a range of 15 percent to 52 percent more students, Maddigan's report stated. Enrollments in the Hart district have been rising steadily in recent years, as each incoming class of seventh-graders is larger than the departing de·part v. de·part·ed, de·part·ing, de·parts v.intr. 1. To go away; leave. 2. To die. 3. class of 12th-graders. Last fall, for example, enrollment was 14,100 - a figure that jumped by 900 kids when the school year began. The district has two sets of rates it charges developers. Some developers, like The Newhall Land and Farming Company The Newhall Land and Farming Company is a land management company based in Valencia, California, United States. The company is responsible for the master community planning of Valencia, as well as the management of farm land elsewhere in the state. , opt to pay a larger sum upfront so that schools can be built sooner. Then, if the district is able to get reimbursement Reimbursement Payment made to someone for out-of-pocket expenses has incurred. from the state government of some of those construction costs, it passes that money along to the developer, Maddigan said. Other developers prefer to pay their required share and not wait for any state reimbursements. ``The district can just keep the state reimbursement when or if it ever comes in,'' Maddigan said. DEVELOPER FEES Projects built within the Saugus, Newhall or Sulphur Springs Sulphur Springs, city (1990 pop. 14,062), seat of Hopkins co., NE Tex., in a farm area; inc. 1859. Vegetables, wheat, rice, and corn are grown, and livestock and dairying are important. There is clay and timber in the area. districts: Single-Family Home Current fee: $5,600 New fee: $7,167 Condominium condominium In modern property law, individual ownership of one dwelling unit within a multidwelling building. Unit owners have undivided ownership interest in the land and those portions of the building shared in common. , Townhome, Apartment Current fee: $2,100 New fee: $3,459 Saugus, Newhall and Sulphur Springs elementary school elementary school: see school. districts feed seventh- to 12th-grade students into the Hart district. Projects built within the Castaic Union School District: Single-Family Home: Current fee: $3,640 New fee: $4,692 Condominium, Townhome, Apartment Current fee: $1,360 New fee: $2,310 The Hart district serves only ninth- to 12th-grade students from the Castaic Union School District. CAPTION(S): Box BOX: DEVELOPER FEES (see text) |
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