School Board ponders facilities

Moving central office proposed

FAYETTEVILLE — A proposal to move the School District’s central office out of its West Bulldog Boulevard location and replace it with the Fayetteville Virtual Academy was one of several facility issues the School Board discussed during a work session Tuesday.

Moving the Virtual Academy to this spot would allow its high school students more convenient access to everything Fayetteville High School has to offer because it’s right across the street, said Megan Slocum, the district’s associate superintendent for support services.

“Remember, in virtual learning, just because the child is a virtual student doesn’t mean the child doesn’t come on campus. It just means they’re learning in a different way,” Slocum told the board.

The Virtual Academy, which serves students in grades four through 12, is housed in the old Happy Hollow school, nearly 3 miles from the high school.

The academy’s high school students must have their own car or have a parent available to drive them if they want to get to Fayetteville High School, Slocum said.

Another reason to consider the move is the lack of classroom space at the academy’s current location to accommodate enrollment growth, she said.

The central office, if it’s moved, could be combined

with other administrative departments — including special services and English as a second language — that share a building with the Virtual Academy.

The board did not make a decision on the Virtual Academy proposal or any other idea discussed at Tuesday’s four-hour meeting, which also touched on a potential land deal with the city, demographic projections, and how to prepare for enrollment growth and other facility needs.

The district has had discussion with the city about buying Lewis Park near Asbell Elementary School from the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

The university system Board of Trustees decided to sell the 25-acre property for its appraised $4.1 million. The city is working on getting its own appraisal of the land. Potential uses of the park include a soccer field and a baseball field, Slocum said.

School District and city officials met recently to discuss a partnership on the land deal. Slocum called it a “really positive” conversation.

Bob Templeton, president of Templeton Demographics, provided the board an update on demographic projections for the district, following up on a study his firm did for the district last year.

Fayetteville’s economy and housing market continue to

grow. The district, which reported enrollment of 10,017 last fall, could see enrollment surpass 11,000 by 2023, Templeton said.

The greatest enrollment pressure is on the elementary level. Enrollment is expected to surpass capacity at four of the district’s nine elementary schools by 2020, according to Templeton’s projections.

Board members discussed options for meeting that need, from adding classrooms at the schools to building another school. Superintendent John L Colbert mentioned Holcomb Elementary as one school that has the space to add classrooms.

The board also heard presentations on two other facility needs: the warehouse and the transportation facility.

The warehouse is 46 years old and the only addition made to it was in 1998.

“Basically what it is is what it was in 1972,” said David Tate, director of physical plant and school services.

The warehouse needs air conditioning. It also could use additional space for staff members and storage for

food, Slocum said.

The transportation department’s facility also was built in the early 1970s, with a director’s office added in 1995, according to Tate. Only one restroom is available for 70 staff members.

The administration’s recommendation is to “raise and rebuild” the facility and resurface the parking lot, Slocum said.

No costs were presented in association with the facility projects, but Kevin Faught, senior vice president with the financial services firm Stephens, presented the board several financing options. They included second-lien bond issues, restructuring current debt and asking voters for a millage increase.

The district’s millage rate is 45.65. The last time voters approved a millage hike was in September 2010, a 2.75-mill increase to finish the expansion and renovation of the high school.