Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Facilities at top of board's discussion list

School facilities became the topic of conversation at yet another meeting of the Prescott School Board as a representative of the Arkansas Board of Educations Division of Public School Academic Facilities addressed the board.

Aliza Jones serves as facilities project manager for the Prescott district.

Jones said Arkansas is the first state to order assessment of the buildings and facilities. The order came as a result of lawsuits alleging that educational opportunities are adversely impacted in some districts because of the states school funding policies.

Jones said the states mandate for each district to assess their facilities and then to create a long-term plan to address needs is an effort to eliminate piece meal buildings and to force districts into a more comprehensive plan.

Jones said she believes the district will see some growth by the year 2018.

Its small growth, but its growth, she said.

She said the growth projections are attributed to several possibilities - including consolidations. She said some districts around the state are voluntarily consolidating to better meet state mandates.

She advised the board to look ahead and to decide where they want to be, then plan in that direction. She suggested that the board sell the community on the fact that the state is offering free money toward many of the projects in order to promote a millage increase.

The free money Jones mentioned is a partnership program being funded by the state. The district is currently taking advantage of the program for those projects that meet requirements. The state pays only for academic buildings and will only pay for specific upgrades.

The amount the state is willing to pay varies from one district to another. Prescott is granted almost half the cost of approved upgrades and building projects, based on a state index that determines the wealth of the district.

Another point to consider, according to Jones, is that the state will pay for facilities upgrades only as long as that building meets specific criteria. The two most important is that the building is used for academics and that its useful remaining life is at a specific level. The age and condition of the building are combined to determine that level. Both the elementary and middle schools at Prescott are nearing that level, though upgrades could lower the rating of those buildings. If the buildings go higher, the state wont partner in the renovation process. That doesnt mean the district couldnt do work on those buildings, but that the state wont help pay for it.

Jones said Prescott isnt alone in their quest to meet the state facilities requirements with a limited budget.

There are some struggling districts out there, she said.

On a positive note, Jones said the state isnt likely to take action against districts that are working to resolve their problem points.

The state is never going to come down and put a district in facilities distress thats trying, Jones said. We know there are districts that are not economically able to do the work you want to do.

In other business, the board approved recent financial reports including payment of some $12,000 for replacement of a fiberoptics line that was taken down by a truck. Prescott Superintendent Hyacinth Deon said the insurance company had declined to pay for the wiring because the district couldnt definitively prove that the wire wasnt sagging when the truck passed under it. District Director of Support Services David Maxwell said the wire is no longer hanging over the parking lot, eliminating the possibility of a repeat of the incident.