Cave Spring Elementary poised to lose state funding
♦ A meeting to detail closure plans is set for tonight at Coosa High School.
Cave Spring residents will have an hour to comment on the plan to close their elementary school during a public meeting with the Floyd County Board of Education Tuesday night.
The 6 p.m. meeting will be held at Coosa High School auditorium to allow the anticipated large crowd to practice social distancing. Members of the community will be allowed up to two minutes apiece to weigh is in the plan.
The school board held a work session Monday to go over some of the data that will be presented.
Superintendent Glenn White explained that the school lost approximately $1.4 million of its tax base when Georgia Power shuttered Plant Hammond.
System-wide, attendence is down by 278 students this year, resulting in a decline of state funding. And, with the city talking about annexation, White is anticipating the loss of even more students — as well as the loss of ad valorem taxes.
It has probably been close to 25 years since Cave Spring met the base elementary school enrollment size, which is currently 450 students for kindergarten through fifth grade, he said.
In fact, perhaps as early as next year the school will dip below 200 students, the minimum to receive capital outlay funds from the state. Deputy Superintendent Scotty Hattaway said that means any physical work on the building would have to be paid for by local tax dollars.
Jack Gardner, executive director of facilities, is expected to show residents Tuesday night that the school needs close to $4.6 million in improvements within the next couple of years.
The list of work includes $1.5 million to replace the heating and air conditioning systems, $1.5 million for a new roof and more than $630,000 for repairs to flooring and a moisture barrier over the concrete slab.
If the closure plan is approved by the school board, Cave Spring students will be shifted to Alto Park Elementary, Pepperell Elementary or Pepperell Primary schools to start the 2022 school year.
The Board of Education will hold a similar meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday night at Armuchee High School to detail plans for the closure of Glenwood Primary School. Gardner estimates there is a need for more than $8.5 million in maintenance and upgrades there.
During their regular meeting Monday, the board accepted a bid of $2,618,314 for a roof replacement at Armuchee High and bids totaling $ 278,080.82 for furnishings at the new Pepperell Middle School, which is now expected to be complete sometime in April.