The choices have apparently been paired down to three when it comes to the building plans the board of education is pitching to county commissioners.
The top three, along with a cursory description of other plans, were revealed to members of the county commission who joined the board of education in an informational meeting presented by Upland Design which is drawing up plans for the building project. Derrick Clemow and Brian Templeton explained to those in attendance at the meeting this past week the scenarios of the top three plans.
One resounding theme in all three plans was the abandonment of Smithville Elementary as a school, with Clemow suggesting the building be repurposed for some other use either by the school system or county. All three of the plans come with hefty price tags, something Director of Schools Jason Cripps said is the result of years of not taking action.
“We can’t keep doing just one school every 30 years,” Cripps told those in attendance. “ It has caught up with us.”
One of the favored plans at the recent meeting was what is being called Scheme G. The plan would cost around $30 million and calls for the closure of Smithville Elementary and the construction of a new Pre-K to second-grade school and a new middle school. The present middle school would then be used for a freshman academy as it is closely aligned to the present high school.
Another popular plan, also the most expensive plan coming in at around $45 million is what is being called Scheme F. The plan calls for the construction of a new high school with room for 1,200 students. The plan would also close Smithville Elementary and convert Northside into a Pre-K through fifth-grade school and the middle school into a Pre-k through fifth. The middle school would then be re-located at the present high school.
The least expensive plan, costing a tick below $27 million, would again close Smithville Elementary and would change Northside to Pre-K through eighth and would involve building two new Pre-K through eighth schools. The current middle school would then be incorporated into the high school. The issue to the plan is that it would involve zoning for the various schools.
“You get to a situation where they pretty much need to be equal,” Clemow pointed out, noting that if gyms and other facilities are not basically equal at each of the schools there could be issues where one group feels they are not getting a fair shake when it comes to their community school. However, it was pointed out that West shows that community schools can work in DeKalb County.
As for the building projects, the decision will come following a further series of meetings and planning sessions on how the county will fund whichever plan is selected. Members of the audience also echoed the theme that any building project should keep in mind that DeKalb County is the 10th fastest growing county in the state and that student populations will continue to rise. It was also pointed out that the next governor could decide to make Pre-K mandatory for all counties, meaning there would be a large increase in the student population at the Pre-K level.
