Chandler school rebuild overall price tag grows by $400K

By Jason W. Brooks
Mail | X: @JasonWBrooks2

Even though the added expenses the Chandler Unified School District governing board approved on June 10 for the Hartford Sylvia Encinas Elementary School were somewhat expected at least by some board members and staff, the spending was difficult for one board member to accept.

The board voted unanimously to approve a $400,000 increase for design services and administrative costs related to the school’s ongoing rebuild.

Assistant Superintendent Tom Dunn told the board both the square footage and the total time for the rebuild increased as planning went along, with plans to reconstruct the school that opened in 1957.

Dunn explained that Grace Design Studios, then known as Orcutt Winslow, was approved in September 2023 by the board for a $1.73 million design contract for Hartford.

“When we start a large project like this, when it comes to size and time for the project, we guess, based on experience,” Dunn told the board. “After Orcutt Winslow engaged with administrators, the principal, students, staff and parents at Hartford and began designing the programming at the school, the total square footage and the time to build it began to take shape.”

The district’s attempted $487 million bond proposal being rejected by voters in November 2024 moved back the start date of the actual construction and demolition, plus drove up the cost. Voters approved a $271.5 million bond in November 2025.

The board voted unanimously Dec.10 of last year to approve a nearly $42 million main contract with CORE Construction for the rebuild. A groundbreaking ceremony was held April 8 for the start of construction, expected to be completed in summer 2027.

The architect and engineering fees for Hartford Elementary School replacement campus were based on a concept of 72,500 square feet and construction costs were based on an estimate of $441 per square foot for a total of $32.04 million, a staff report states.

The actual square footage of the design, based on district directed programming and the school’s needs, ended up being 83,409 square feet and actual construction cost was $503.42 per square foot.

With Grace Design Studios having a contract with CUSD that calls for a 5.4% fee for design, that’s an increase of about $297,000.

Also, the report states, the schedule for the rebuild is six months longer than anticipated and requires increased “construction administration fees,” anticipated at almost $100,000.

“The programming discussion actually led to even more square footage than 83,000, but we scaled it back to bring it within budget, per the bond,” Dunn said. “When we built Rice (the district’s newest elementary school, completed in 2020), we ended up close to 100,000 (square feet), so we’ve gotten more efficient.”

The board is set to meet on June 24 in what will be its last meeting of the fiscal year. In recent years, the Arizona Legislature and governor had not approved a state budget — and all the school finance that goes with it — by CUSD’s last regular meeting of June.

Email Jason W. Brooks at jbrooks@iniusa.org. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.

INDEPENDENT NEWSMEDIA

Jason W. Brooks
News Editor | Chandler Independent

Jason W. Brooks joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2021 as an associate editor. After a year covering Buckeye, he has covered Chandler since the fall of 2022, in addition to assisting the Daily Independent throughout his time at INI.

Education: University of New Mexico, bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication, print emphasis, English minor.

Random Fact: He and his siblings witnessed a Space Shuttle launch and landing in the same year in person, on opposite coasts.

Hobbies: Karaoke, bicycling and American Sign Language.

Community: He supports animal shelters.