The school system’s project list for the planned $400 million bond referendum this fall includes relocating and replacing Midlothian Middle School in the village. Photo by James Haskins
The chairwoman of the Chesterfield Board of Supervisors confirmed last week that county and school officials are “aggressively” looking for property on which to build a replacement for the aging Midlothian Middle School.
During a joint meeting of the Board of Supervisors and School Board last Wednesday, Leslie Haley said the plan is to identify a site “that meets the citizens’ goals” and purchase it so the land is available when the school system is ready to begin construction.
“I’m glad to say we’re working collaboratively on that,” she said.
The building now known as Midlothian Middle, which dates to 1924, and was used as a high school until the current Midlothian High was built 60 years later.
During a rally for improved school maintenance last fall, several parents spoke of a foul odor in one part of the building that had permeated their children’s hair and clothing. Amid concern that the school might have a mold problem, the school system conducted testing last year and said it found no elevated levels of mold.
It also launched its advanced maintenance and preventative program at Midlothian Middle last fall to knock out a list of needed facility repairs.
“We know there continues to be issues with the pipes, some of which are made out of clay,” said Kathryn Haines, the Midlothian District’s School Board representative.
The school system’s project list for the likely November 2020 bond referendum includes $65.1 million to build a new Midlothian Middle. Its current timetable has the replacement school opening in September 2027, but that could change.
The county is looking for a new school site either within the village of Midlothian or as close as possible, Haley said, in keeping with feedback it received from citizens at community meetings for the recently approved Midlothian Community Special Area Plan. “One thing we’re going to do a better job of, once we’ve identified a need, let’s go out and find that land while it’s cheaper. It’s only going to increase in value. Let’s be smart about where we think we’re going to grow and where our needs are going to be,” County Administrator Joe Casey said.
As of the Observer’s press time Monday, the School Board was expected to vote at its Feb. 25 meeting to formally request that the Board of Supervisors put a $400 million school bond referendum on the ballot for November’s general election. Other planned projects include two new middle schools – one in the western Hull Street Road corridor and another in central Chesterfield – to alleviate a countywide capacity crunch. Both are slated to open in September 2024.
Overall, the county’s middle schools are operating at just about 100% of capacity. School officials want to address overcrowding at Tomahawk Creek, Swift Creek and Bailey Bridge middle schools and accommodate enrollment increases as the county’s housing market continues to attract new families.
The school system also wants to construct a replacement for Falling Creek Middle, which currently has almost 1,500 students in a school with a program capacity of 987. The school has 22 classroom trailers on-site, housing the entire sixth grade.
“Falling Creek is not as old as some of the other buildings we have discussed, but it’s simply not large enough to support the community,” said School Board Chairwoman Debbie Bailey.
School officials are budgeting $36.5 million apiece to replace three elementary schools – including Chesterfield’s oldest school, the 98-year-old Grange Hall Elementary, as well as two other elementary schools in the eastern part of the county (A.M. Davis and Bensley) that ranked among the worst in a 2017 facility condition assessment.
The school system has concluded it is more cost-effective to rebuild those schools (with a 60-year lifespan) instead of extensively renovating them and adding 20 years to their respective life cycles.
Bailey acknowledged the school system’s proposed bond referendum package is “aggressive” but said she feels strongly it is appropriate.
“To remain a first-choice community, we need to have first-choice buildings,” she added.
Deputy Superintendent Thomas Taylor noted the school system will be making more efficient use of its facilities in the near future – most notably, bringing all of its more than 400 central office employees together under one roof.
The county is seeking office space in central Chesterfield that has enough capacity to accommodate each of those staffers, who currently are split between the school administration building on Krause Road and the Career and Technical Center on Hull Street Road.
That will give the school system the ability to expand its career and technical education offerings, while also using classroom space at CTC to alleviate overcrowding at the nearby Cosby High School.
Casey and CCPS Superintendent Merv Daugherty also are working on a partnership with John Tyler Community College, which potentially could lead to the school system’s Early College Academy courses being conducted at the college’s Midlothian and Chester campuses. That would free up additional classrooms at the high school level.
School officials initially identified a new high school as one of its top priorities for the upcoming bond referendum, but decided not to move forward with that project because of the looming $100 million price tag. ¦
"middle" - Google News
February 26, 2020 at 11:01PM
https://ift.tt/3a7jyed
County, schools seek to relocate Midlothian Middle - Chesterfield Observer
"middle" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2MY042F
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
No comments:
Post a Comment