Demolition of the aging Watson Chapel Junior High School to make way for a new high school campus is expected to take place June 1, according a timeline for the project released Monday.
The Watson Chapel School District in August approved a millage increase through an election to cover its portion of a cost-share agreement with the Arkansas Department of Education to construct a 92,500-square-foot high school at the site of the present junior high building, which first opened in 1945. The present high school, which opened in 1977, will be converted into either a junior high or middle school.
The final construction plan is to be approved by the district school board by Jan. 15, with those plans to be submitted to state officials by March 15 for final approval, which is expected by May 1. Opening bids for the construction is projected to begin May 30, with board approval of the construction cost by June 15 and the start of construction by August. District officials hope to move into the new campus by February 2025, with classes to begin the following August.
Superintendent Tom Wilson said he will schedule a meeting with parents once the board approves a final plan to discuss where junior high students could be relocated.
"We've got a lot of work to do," Wilson said. "It's going to take a lot of time for us to stay on time with this."
GYMATORIUM ALLOWED
The Arkansas Division of Public School Academic Facilities and Transportation granted the Watson Chapel School District a waiver from a state policy prohibiting the combination of funded spaces as part of its upcoming high school.
This means the WCSD will be allowed to construct a "gymatorium" -- a combined area for a gymnasium and performing arts auditorium -- in order to minimize costs toward the campus.
In a letter dated Nov. 21, division Assistant Director Tyrel Pace notified WCSD Wilson of the waiver.
"The stage, seating and Physical Education area must meet POR requirements and the standards listed in the Arkansas School Facilities Manual," Pace wrote, referring to the program of requirements. State policy prohibits a waived space being added to another space to make one space larger than the required size under the POR, but that policy was last revised in December 2021, about eight months after the Arkansas Department of Education approved a cost-share agreement with the WCSD. The total cost of the high school project was estimated at $23 million, but Wilson said during Monday's district board meeting costs have risen from $200 per square foot at the time of approval to an estimated $280 to $300 per square foot.
"What does that tell you?" Wilson said. "We're going to run a little short. We're going to ask the legislators to get into that $100 million rainy-day fund the governor has and see if they won't help us – there's not that many school districts that passed a millage – but help us with the need for least $280 to $290 per square foot. That way, we can build the building we promised the community."
BOONE HONORED
Former school board member Sandra Boone received the Dr. Daniel L. Pilkinton Award for outstanding service to public education during the Arkansas School Boards Association Conference on Thursday.
Boone served 20 years on the Watson Chapel board and was president during the past year.
On Monday, former WCSD Superintendent Danny Knight presented another plaque to Boone, this one from the board recognizing her years of service.
PERSONNEL MOVES
Ernest Wooten was hired as a bus driver, effective the second semester.