Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Could MMS be moved?

School funding continues to be an issue in Arkansas and schools across the state are struggling to meet state mandates on several fronts, including facilities. Prescott School Board members have a long-range plan for meeting those state requirements, but there have been a number of discussions recently regarding how the district is to pay for those repairs and renovations.

One option that has been mentioned is the possibility of moving students who currently attend McRae Middle School to create a centralized campus near the elementary and high schools.

One of the reasons for the discussion is that significant repairs and renovations will be required to keep MMS up to state standards.

At a recent board meeting, board member Jo Beth Glass requested a study to determine the cost of combining the three schools. One suggestion was that the district could move to a two-campus system with grades kindergarten through six in one building and seven through 12 in another.

Prescott Superintendent Hyacinth Deon had Jerry Hollensworth of Trull-Hollensworth Architects put together a rough estimate of what it would cost to combine the two campuses.

Hollensworth indicates that the elementary school cafeteria would not be sufficient to serve the additional grades, but that space could be utilized for other purposes. The total estimated cost for including two additional grades at PES is $6.8 million. That cost includes a 30,000 foot classroom building.

The high school would require similar changes, including a cafeteria and 14,000 square feet of classroom space at an estimated cost of $5.2 million.

Deon reminded board members that the estimate does not include land acquisition, but didnt offer an opinion as to whether the existing campus is large enough for the additional construction.

The board has shuffled projects over the past few months in an effort to stay in compliance with state requirements. Board members recently voted to put off installing a fire alarm system at MMS, citing the cost of the project and the lack of funding.

The board approached voters in September for a millage increase to pay for renovations and repairs, but the measure was rejected.

Several points have been made regarding the required renovations and repairs.

* The condition of the building, student enrollment and other factors determine how much of a particular project the state will fund. Renovations improve the ranking of a building but both MMS and PES are approaching the limit at which the state simply wont help pay for repairs.

* The district must submit a long-range plan, outlining repairs and renovations. The district has some leeway in deciding when projects will be completed and have recently delayed some due to lack of funding. Deon has told the board these steps are acceptable but warned against putting projects off for many years.

* The state presented the district with a list of necessary repairs and renovations, but the district has some say in what should be done, and in what order. Some projects have simply been wiped off the list if district personnel determine those arent practical. Deon has said that having children in a safe, dry, warm environment are at the top of the states priorities.