SOUTH BEND — The board of the South Bend Community School Corp. will be asked Monday for its approval to use Studebaker School as the home for the New Tech high school, as well as a budget so that students can begin class there one year from now.

It will mean an extra $96,000 from the general budget than originally thought. That’s on top of the $100,000 the board OK’d July 27 as seed money for a New Tech fundraising campaign.

All of this is laid out in the New Tech plan on which the board will vote at its meeting Monday.

This spring, the board had approved moving ahead with New Tech as long as all of the start-up costs were taken care of by outside funds. But the corporation is up against a Sept. 1 deadline from the United Way of St. Joseph County in order to bring in a possible $501,000.

School officials don’t want that money to slip by.

By Sept. 1, the board must approve a budget and a site for the school, and the corporation must show that it has a certain amount of pledges from donors.

The extra $96,000 chisels down the amount the corporation has to raise by that deadline, making it more achievable.

So far, local companies and individuals have pledged $255,000 to the project, Superintendent James Kapsa said. That leaves the corporation to raise an additional $280,000 in pledges by Sept. 1, and Kapsa believes that can be done.

But he added, "If this project is going to fly, these next two weeks are going to be critical."

Though the extra $96,000 would come from the general fund, Kapsa eventually wants it covered by outside dollars.

"It’s going to mean us being very honest and looking where we can find that money," Kapsa said. "It’s going to take a lot of work on our part, working with the community."

He expects several people to speak both for the project and against the added costs at Monday’s meeting.

Pro: Folks from local businesses, the Chamber of Commerce of St. Joseph County and the city have been encouraging the school corporation to move ahead with New Tech, seeing it as a way to teach skills that employers are hungry to see in their workers now, like teamwork and critical thinking. New Tech isn’t about teaching technology. It’s about students learning in teams as they work on projects, but it’s all done via computers.

Con: The extra costs raise worries among other schools and school programs. For example, parents and staff at Washington High School want an addition to alleviate a lack of classroom space. They see that as urgent.

But Kapsa said the United Way’s deadline — and the available dollars — makes New Tech a priority for now.

The United Way has put together $740,000 for efforts to address local graduation and achievement rates. Half of it is from the Lilly Endowment. None is from its annual campaign. New Tech is just part of that equation. And how the money is used still hinges on the OK by the local United Way’s board this fall and the Indiana Association of United Ways.

New Tech administrator John Kennedy said the project will seek a range of government and private grants.

Board trustee Roger Parent agreed to help with fund-raising. Today he sent an e-mail to fellow trustees suggesting the project could draw more state funding to the corporation by keeping kids in the district.

Kennedy said costs could drop if Indiana education officials are able to gain a discount on the $450,000 fee the corporation must pay to the New Tech Network for the curriculum and support. Nothing is certain there.

Why Studebaker?

The financial picture makes Studebaker School attractive as the New Tech school site, Kapsa said. It requires the least amount of investment for renovations, compared with other finalists for the school site.

Built in 1961, the school at 724 E. Dubail St. is in good shape, needing an estimated $751,000 worth of remodeling to prepare it for New Tech — from knocking out a few walls to adding 100 more parking spots. That’s up from the $729,000 quoted to the board Monday. The increase ensures that there’s enough money to outfit the two science labs, Kennedy said.

The renovations would be done over the course of three years, starting with just $74,500 in the first.

Other school projects have hoped for Studebaker as their home, too. One is the Early College high school, which begins classes next week in Riley High School, where it’s being incubated.

Studebaker is close to both Ivy Tech Community College and Indiana University South Bend.

Studebaker is now being used as classrooms for Monroe Primary Center students as Monroe is being renovated. The building will be available by June 2010.