AUBURN — Plans to replace Edward Little High School should wait as long as five years, until local leaders know how much state aid might be available, according to a planning committee.

Members of the city’s New High School Steering Committee heard from Maine Deputy Education Commissioner Jim Rier on Tuesday night, when he counseled them to trust that the state would work its way down a list of school construction projects far enough to help Auburn replace the aging high school.

It was good news for committee members, who agreed that a February 2014 city vote to build the new school without state help probably won’t be necessary.

“It feels like, if there’s a possibility within a five-year horizon that state funding is available, I think it’s very hard to justify not waiting,” committee member Rick Vail said. “Really, the question becomes, ‘What do we need to do in the interim to baby-sit the facility until we tear it down?'”

Members agreed to continue meeting and to keep planning for a new high school. They’re expected to brief members of the School Committee at Wednesday night’s meeting at Auburn Hall.

School officials were contemplating going it alone and building a new school without state help, a potential cost of $62 million. That would mean a tax increase of $336 per year on a $150,000 home.

They had assumed that state aid wouldn’t be available. Historically, the state funds the first 20 school construction projects on a list it publishes every five to six years. Schools are ranked in order of need. Edward Little was ranked at No. 16 on the most recent list, released in 2011.

State officials have been cautious and have funded only the first six projects on that list. Auburn officials assumed that meant the other 14 on the list, including Edward Little, would go wanting.

But Rier said that’s not the case.

“Right now, we believe our process works very well,” Rier said. “It’s worked well before and I would be encouraged. I can’t say how fast it will happen, but I have confidence we will get to your project. I just can’t say when, exactly.”

Rier wouldn’t guess how soon state officials would announce more school projects but said he was confident it would get to Auburn’s project within 10 years.

He assured committee members the state would not publish a new list, pushing Auburn further back.

“We are progressing through the list we have,” Rier said. “We don’t have the resources, nor is it efficient, to go back out to reassess everything.”

Rier said that once Auburn is selected, it could qualify for interest-only financing that would let the school district move ahead more quickly and build if it agreed to pay the interest in the first two to three years.

The state eventually would take over the debt, once there is room in the state budget to take on more debt as other projects are paid off, he said. At that point, the state would take over the majority of costs for the next 20 years, he said.

staylor@sunjournal.com

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