GENTRY -- A modified plan to make room for the intermediate school on the campuses of the primary and middle schools was presented in greater detail to Gentry School Board members at their Monday night meeting.
Randy Barrett, superintendent of the Gentry School District, told board members he had talked with Michael Spaeth, architect for the primary school campus, and received without charge some basic drawings showing a building with four classrooms and a physical education room inside the circle drive on the north side of the primary school and also an addition to the southwest corner of the middle school with 12 classrooms.
The two buildings would give the school district some extra room to grow, Barrett said, in addition to providing adequate facilities to move the intermediate school to the Pioneer Lane school property. He said such a plan would also require opening up a driveway behind the schools to provide additional access to the schools from routes other than Pioneer Lane.
Estimated costs for the buildings, Barrett said, was roughly $5.6 million total -- $2.7 million for one building and $ 2.96 million for the second. This, Barrett said, is in comparison to the $20 million price tag for a new high school and competition gym or $10 million for a new intermediate school campus behind the current primary school.
Barrett suggested, if this alternate plan were approved, that the physical education room also be a safe room for severe weather protection. Grant funds could be available to assist with a safe-room project, he said at the February meeting.
School board members agreed with a recommendation of Barrett to share this alternate plan with those in attendance at a planned 6 p.m. April 13 town hall meeting at the Gentry City Council chambers and get input from the community on the possible building plans. Also on the agenda for that meeting is discussion of a charter school within the Gentry School District to better prepare students to enter the workforce upon graduation.
Barrett said he didn't think anyone wants to leave the intermediate school campus in its current facility and expected most would want the school district to be able to build a new high school somewhere in the near future. He also said that, in talking with school staff, most thought the expansion plan was a good and workable plan for the district.
"It could be that we might not need a new high school," Barrett said in light of the discussions regarding starting up a charter school within the district. "We may need a vocational school instead and continue to use the existing high school for academic courses."
Other Business
In other business, the board approved on its first reading policy changes which would restructure the district's maintenance and transportation departments and add a full-time position of night custodian supervisor. Other changes included making two half-time positions into full-time positions. Part of the reasoning for the change is to do more work in house and make it possible to complete more maintenance tasks in a timely manner.
The board approved the resignations (effective at the end of the current school year) of Mitch Goodwin as maintenance supervisor, Betty Harrington as food services director, Andrea Thomas as high school math teacher, Kyle Kimel as middle school math teacher, and Reine Moore as middle school reading teacher. It approved the transfers of Myra Welch to middle school secretary and Regenia Morris to special education secretary and bookkeeper.
Contracts were renewed for Gayla Wilmoth as primary school principal, Denise Waters as intermediate school principal, Larry Cozens as middle school principal, Brae Harper as high school principal, Angela Dennis as special education supervisor, Terrie Metz as federal and curriculum coordinator, and Judy Winslett as assistant superintendent.
General News on 03/18/2015