· The project was initially approved at $81.5 million. The building design grew raising the cost to $84 million. Current estimate is $92.5M (if construction started today)
· The estimate is for construction & omits key long-term costs - utilities, 105 staffing, transportation, annual operation & maintenance, cleaning, equipment, technology, food service equipment, buses, etc.
· In January 2026, the board approved deferring repayment of the 2018 bonds by 2 years, at a taxpayer cost of $11 million & risking higher interest rates for future borrowing.
· At the March 2026 budget meeting, it was announced “expenditures exceed revenues.” Pensions & transportation were singled out as rising costs.
· At a time when the district is already over budget, adding another school raises serious concerns about financial responsibility.
Money, Money, & More Money
· A separate K-1 Center adds a continuous, annual cost & tax burden to fund the same services as the other 6 district schools.
· Taxpayers received a 3.5% school tax increase this year which does not take this project into consideration.
June 2026 told "Construction market is facing several headwinds"
(un) Affordability
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Equity Amongst Schools
Long List of Existing Needs
·The district's 2023 Feasibility Study Update identifies $59 million in improvements needed at the four elementary schools & another $44 million for the middle & high schools. These estimates assume the 400-student elementary school in Edgmont was built.
· Many of the district’s existing needs, including elective programs, could be better addressed through a more cost-effective, comprehensive plan rather than committing to a single, state of the art regional school, which students will attend for 2 years before going to 1 of the 4 elementary schools - built between 1913 and1962, for the next 4 years.
· All students deserve a quality education in modernized schools, not just a “state of the art” kindergarten.
Existing needs & equity in the schools must be part of the overall plan & budget.
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· Greater investment in one school at the expense of older district schools raises questions about equity. All students deserve a quality education in modernized schools, not just a “state of the art” kindergarten.
· A regional K-1 Center uproots students after first grade, severing early friendships & forcing families to juggle varied commutes & schedules.
· The 2018 District Capacity Study did not recommend this model, citing concerns with busing young students & increased transportation as drawbacks.
· At the February 13, 2025 work session, a school board member is heard saying “…one of the schools we went to & we visited, the principal said everybody’s putting this [K-1 Centers] into their schools & we did it too but if I had to do it again, I wouldn’t do it again.” (20:25-20:35 timestamp)
May 14, 2026 Word Session, the School Board president states “We need to remember where Media Elementary is located. A number of students actually walk to school. That's why people love media elementary & going there because you can walk your student to school or you know they can walk themselves and that has an impact on breakfast if they want it. Maybe they're eating while they're walking.”
5-6, & 7 Year Olds
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The former employer of the RTMSD superintendent, i.e. the Cherry Hill School District, is in dire straits.
While at Cherry Hill, the RTMSD superintendent got a $364 M bond issue for similar capital projects.
Now Cherry Hill finds itself with a $29 M budget gap resulting in 72 jobs cut, $8 million in operational cuts, and a 7.4% property tax increase as reported in this April 28, 2026 ABC Action News segment & in an April 29, 2026 Inquirer article.
The Cherry Hill problem, “fixed costs far exceed any growth in district revenue”, is the same situation RTMSD is facing. The district cannot afford the existing schools & the proposed K-1 will be another forever, annual cost burden.
History Repeating Itself
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