PRAIRIE GROVE -- In a special meeting earlier this month, Prairie Grove School Board agreed to move forward in applying for state partnership money to build a new school, one that would either house fifth- and sixth-graders or one for seventh- and eighth-graders.
The Board will vote on a formal resolution for the application at its October meeting.
The new school would have about 49,000 square feet and be located on the site of the former Prairie Grove Primary School, which was demolished in spring 2016. The school district tore down all of the primary building except the newest section used for second-grade classes.
The board considered six options, with alternatives to each, in discussing future needs for the school district:
- Expanding Prairie Grove Middle School.
- A new school for 5th-8th grades.
- A new school for 7th-8th grades.
- A new school for 7th-9th grades.
- Adding onto the annex (what's left of the former Primary School).
Allen Williams, superintendent of schools, recommended the Board select an option that would not require a millage increase. He noted the options to build a seventh- and eighth-grade building for $10.3 million or a fifth-sixth-grade school for $10.4 million are "doable" financially for the district.
The district could apply for $4.5 million in partnership money from Arkansas Department of Education and the school's local cost would be about $6 million. Williams said Prairie Grove would consider paying for its share by issuing second-lien bonds.
If all goes as planned, it would be three to four years before the new school would open, Williams said.
In a memo to Williams, middle school Principal Reba Holmes wrote that "creating a 5/6 middle school and a 7/8 junior high would in my opinion be the best solution for the future."
The district needs to make improvements to the middle school campus, Holmes said last week.
"The main issue is the eighth-grade building is so old," she said. "If you keep spending more and more money on it, you're shooting yourself in the foot."
Although the middle school houses grades 5-8, it's almost as though two different schools are on that campus, Holmes noted.
Currently, the middle school has two different schedules for 5-6 and 7-8 and keeps those grades separated for lunch, bathrooms and social gathering times because of age and maturity levels.
Holmes said speakers have to give two different presentations to the grades for age appropriateness and the library has books that range from Magic Tree House for younger students to research materials for older students.
Holmes said many fifth-grade parents voice concerns each year about having their children at a building with "older kids."
Board members agreed with Holmes' recommendation to have a separate middle school and junior high school.
"It's not a bad idea," said board member Shawn Shrum, noting a seventh-eighth-grade school would help students as they transition to the high school.
The options for a new school show the District would remove the eighth-grade building at the middle school. This would leave room to add onto that campus in the future. The new school would be constructed so that it could be expanded in the future.
One idea is to add ninth-grade to the junior high at some point.
Charles Stein, a facilities consultant with Arkansas Public School Resource Center in Little Rock, attended the Sept. 8 special board meeting. Stein is the retired director of the Facilities Division of the Department of Education and serves as a consultant for Prairie Grove.
Stein recommended the board apply for money to build a new school for seventh- and eighth-graders because Prairie Grove would be eligible to receive more money for a building to house older students, compared to one for younger students. The board could make a final decision on which grades to put in the new building before plans are finalized, Stein said.
Holmes said her preference is to build a new school for fifth and sixth grades and leave seventh- and eighth-graders at the current middle school building. She likes having the younger students in a self-contained school away from the more open campus on Mock Street and also said she thinks it would be best to leave seventh- and eighth-graders on the current campus with a gym facility.
Williams said he leans toward a new junior high building because it allows the district to receive the most in partnership funding, lowering the district's cost, and also because the part of the middle school being saved is already set up for fifth- and sixth-graders.
As the process moves along, school officials will evaluate needs and look at enrollment figures to determine which school would be best for Prairie Grove, a new middle school for fifth- and sixth-graders or a new junior high building for seventh and eighth grades, Holmes said.
General News on 09/20/2017