Plans approved for WC High School
Nearly 1 ½ years since voters said yes, the Arkansas Division of Public School Academic Facilities and Transportation approved the final construction plan for the new Watson Chapel High School.
The Watson Chapel School District recently received a letter from the division of the Arkansas Department of Education about its approval. Superintendent Tom Wilson displayed the letter during Monday’s regular board meeting, a long-awaited signal that contractors can begin the framework to the campus that will replace the now-demolished junior high school that stood for 78 years.
The Department of Education agreed to a funding partnership with the WCSD in late 2021 after it was determined the junior high campus had no useful life remaining. Voters narrowly approved a millage increase from 34.1 to 39.8 to help cover the cost of the high school in August 2022, a major victory for the district just 40 days into Wilson’s tenure.
Trying to adjust the district’s budget amid rising construction costs proved a lengthy chore for school officials, however. The district sought to lower the price tag by receiving a waiver from recently passed legislation on required safe rooms, but the facilities division denied the request. State officials, however, approved an additional $89 per square foot in assistance for the WCSD. The district took out second-lien bonds in July to help with the costs, and Wilson has included in the plans an 1,800-seat competitive gymnasium in lieu of a standard physical education venue.
“It’s really almost been a perfect storm in one sense,” Wilson said. “We kept plugging and kept getting denied, and finally we came up with the money and the funds to take us through this project. Now, we’re going to start blooming and blossoming for the future. I really hope we have a good March and it’s drier and we’ll be able to start on the foundation.”
A final cost has not been determined, but with the $4.12 million second-lien bond, Wilson said the district has about $39 million toward a 92,500-square-foot project that was once valued at $40,158,100 with the competitive gym.
That potential price tag could be marked down to about $38.7 million as gas prices are reduced, Wilson said. Baldwin and Shell, the general contractor, has contacted potential subcontractors based in Pine Bluff and surrounding areas about placing their bids, he added.
Baldwin and Shell representatives told the board the company would accept bids on Feb. 1 at its Little Rock headquarters. A complete report on the bids will be given at the Feb. 12 board meeting.
Wilson hopes the high school will be completed by the start of the 2025-26 school year.
TEST TALK
Local school districts are updating their boards on the latest data regarding academic performance based on tests designed to prepare students for state-required ATLAS, or Arkansas Teaching and Learning Assessment System, this spring.
Most of the data showed progress in reading skills across the grade levels, as some students who began the school year below standards or in need of support were either exceeding, meeting or coming close to meeting standards.
For examples:
■ The percentage of first-graders at or above the benchmark in reading slightly increased from 36% to 38%. That means the percentage of those below the mark went down from 64% to 62%.
■ Whereas 0% of second-graders were working above standard in grade-level materials as of October, 8% are doing so as of this month. There’s also been an increase of those working in grade-level materials from 17% to 23%.
■ The percentage of sixth-graders on a foundational (kindergarten through grade 2) level in word study is reduced from 72% to 56%, with an increase of those on an intermediate level (grades 3-5) from 27% to 43%. Only 1% of sixth graders are on an advanced level. District officials are urging parents to make sure their children are in school during testing time. A school district that fails to test at least 95% of its students for the state battery can result in a citation to accreditation.
“I want to find the answer to getting the parents involved,” board member Donnie Hartsfield said. “Getting involved with your kid 30 to 45 minutes a day with your kid, the red [bar indicating below-benchmark performance] will go away really quick.”
Assistant Superintendent Dee Davis responded that boosting parental involvement in education is not a new discussion.
“If Mom and Daddy don’t push, nobody else is going to push,” she said.
FINANCIALS
The WCSD had an ending balance of $12,333,637.05 for December. The district received $1,223,203.80 in revenue and spent $1,786,811.05 in non-activity funds, more than $400,000 of that being a payment to Baldwin and Shell, Wilson indicated.
PERSONNEL MOVES
The district accepted a resignation letter from Jessie Toston as high school auto mechanics teacher and bus driver.
The district approved the increase of Rod Austin as a part-time mechanic and bus driver to 5 hours. Hires include Marc Bateman as an auto mechanics teacher and bus driver, Ginger Daigle as an elementary teacher, Bruce Rollins as a special education paraprofessional and bus driver (5 hours) and Kimberly Miller as special education parapro.