Proposal could relieve overcrowding in Jackson schools

An architect on Tuesday showed Jackson School Board members how future school renovations and building projects might relieve overcrowding in the district if voters approve a $22 million bond issue April 4.

At the board's regular meeting Tuesday night, architect Aaron Harte of Incite Design broke down changes at each school and showed board members proposed designs that could come to fruition if voters pass Proposition J.

Under the designs, North Elementary would add multiple classrooms, with room to add more later if needed, Harte said. North Elementary is over 100 percent student capacity.

Harte said another focus at that school is parent pickup.

The plans for North Elementary also include a new media center and an expanded administrative suite.

North Elementary and West Lane Elementary would become kindergarten through fourth-grade schools, Harte said.

The total sections offered at West Lane would stay the same, but the school would add a classroom because it is over capacity.

"They need room to breathe across the board," Harte said of West Lane.

West Lane also would receive a larger media center, a new art room and a new music room, Harte said.

Jackson Middle School would have new classrooms in the current courtyard and new bathrooms.

Renovations also would address a traffic issue at pickup and dropoff times by expanding the circular drive in front of the school farther on Independence Street.

Jackson Middle School was well over 100 percent capacity for students.

"It is one of the worst for growth," Harte said of the middle school.

Along with constructing a new building to accommodate ninth-graders at the high school, the plan Harte presented calls for renovating current buildings to expand specialty classrooms and a guided-study room.

The total number of classrooms would increase to 21.

The plan also would relocate one of the entrances to the school, the in-school suspension area and the school-resource officer room.

"I don't know if you've been in a newer high school, but everything has to be set up like Barnes & Noble," Harte said of the commons layout.

Jackson voters still need to pass Proposition J before these improvements can begin.

Resident Laura Stroder said multiple residents are unhappy the current Proposition J plan includes demolishing the old high-school building, over 50,000 square feet, to put a newer but smaller building, 48,000 square feet, in its place.

The old building was constructed in 1920.

Stroder said she would prefer the old building to be renovated instead of torn down.

"It would be cheaper to modernize that building and save it," Stroder said. "There are no major problems with this building."

The old high-school building is not in use in part because of mold, according to a previous presentation by Harte.

The school also would have to be brought up to the current seismic code.

Board member Dan Stover said the board voted to demolish the building in February because the space in a new building would be utilized better.

The cost of renovation and new construction were about the same, Stover said.

In other business:

• The board voted to approve paying $21,000 for legal services to fight AT&T's appeal of tax assessment on its cellphone towers. AT&T pays about $115,000 a year to Jackson schools in taxes and is disputing about $20,000 of that amount, superintendent John Link said. Link said he expects AT&T to drop the appeal with any pushback from the school district.
• Tuesday's meeting was the last for board president Terri Tomlin and board member T. Wayne Lewis. Tomlin has served on the board of education for 15 years, and Lewis has been on the board for 30 years.

bkleine@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3644

Pertinent address: 614 E. Adams St., Jackson, MO