Print this story |
E-mail story |
This story has 15 comments | Add your own |
iPod friendly | Bookmark this
What is this?
CES expansion closer to reality
Published Thursday, October 29, 2009
The Chilton County Board of Education on Thursday approved taking bids on a project that will add 24 classrooms to Clanton Elementary School.
The new building will replace eight portable classrooms at the school and allow room for Clanton schools to grow, Superintendent Keith Moore said.
The board would still have to accept a final bid for the expansion.
“Basically what we want to do is decide if this is the way we want to go, bid it out and see if we can afford it,” Moore said.
Funding for the project would come likely in part from Alabama Public School and College Authority money that can only be spent on new buildings or capital improvements.
Clanton Elementary Principal Rebecca Threlkeld asked the board to consider also adding library space, but agreed the classrooms were needed the most.
“The classrooms — that is our top priority, of course,” Threlkeld said.
The school needs just 10 or 12 classrooms to alleviate the need for trailers.
Moore has encouraged the board to build more now if it can because of low construction prices.
The superintendent anticipates 20-25 bids on the project, more than double what the system has gotten in the past on construction bids.
The board also discussed possibly moving Clanton grades around to ease overcrowding and best use the new space when it is completed.
One idea included moving the third grade back to CES from Clanton Intermediate and then bumping both Chilton County High and Clanton Middle down one grade.
“If we aren’t going to move those grades down, we don’t need all that space right now,” said board member Ann Thomas.
Board member Chris Davis said everyone would have their personal opinion and preference about any changes, but that he didn’t think moving grades would “affect the education of students.”
No decision about any possible changes was made Thursday.
Moore said the system needs to make sure any move wouldn’t negatively impact academics or athletics.
“We want to make sure we don’t have a negative ripple effect, Moore said.
-In other news, the board also voted the new Jemison Intermediate School just that —Jemison Intermediate School.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE THIS STORY?
Comments
Posted by Likeitreallymatters (anonymous) on October 30, 2009 at 9:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)
WOW! They have a new school that is days away from being completed, with no plan to occupy it, yet they can come together for a meeting to discuss new construction in Clanton. Could this be any more frustrating? The Board of Education seems to be great at starting plans, but terrible at finishing them. Meanwhile, the people of Jemison are in purgatory, awaiting some semblance of leadership from the folks in Clanton. I wish the people of Jemison would rise up and let their voice be heard. A decision needs to be made, and action needs to be taken. When JIS is up and running, they can feel free to do all of the construction in Clanton that they want to. Until then, FOCUS on the project at hand.
Posted by TeamStrikeZone (anonymous) on October 30, 2009 at 10:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Wow is correct. I know Thorsby is small in scale to Clanton as well as Jemison but isnt it time for funds to be diversed to Thorsby students? Thorsby is growing still and with open enrollment this year is great but in simple reality the room for new students isnt there still. The property is in place to build a new school on but the funds seem to continue to be dispersed elsewhere. Thorsby is actually one of the few schools with it's population rate that only consumes basically 1 building K-12.
Posted by JanineS22 (Jan Smith) on October 30, 2009 at 11:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Why should waiting on the JIS contractor to complete the punch list put a halt to further growth? They approved a motion to take bids on the addition. They shouldn't sit around and wait until after the ribbon cutting to start thinking about future projects.
I'm glad my husband's boss doesn't wait to finish one project before he starts bidding the next job. That would mean a lot of down time. Down time = no payday.
The people of Jemison are proud to have a new school. It is top of the line in craftmanship and technology. LIRM, we are opening a new school, not organizing a million kid march...you need to lay off the caffeine first thing in the morning.
Posted by Likeitreallymatters (anonymous) on October 30, 2009 at 12:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
In a school system, time does not necessarily equal money. There is a limited supply of money available. There has been no decision made about a schedule to move in. There has been no decision made as to who will be running the place, or if there will need to be new hires in administration. THere have been no new CNP staff hired or any of the other countless things that need to be done to open the new school. So far, all we know is that someday there will be some kids in the building and they will probably 4th, 5th, and 6th grade.(Although I've heard rumblings that even that is not set in stone) Before we decide to set aside money for new projects, we need to make sure we have the money for the projects currently in place, which, according to recent articles in this newspaper, we are lacking. If the money isn't there to open the new school, how can we be putting money aside for new construction.
All that said, the main point that I was trying to reach before was that the Board is dragging there feet in making a decisiona nd one needs to be made. I don't understand calling a special meeting to discuss future projects and allotting zero time for discussion of the current projects, aside from giving the school a name. By the way, Is there anyone who didn't already know it was going to be called Jemison Intermediate School?
Posted by kwsrgraves (anonymous) on October 30, 2009 at 1:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)
"Funding for the project would come likely in part from Alabama Public School and College Authority money that can only be spent on new buildings or capital improvements."--CA
I think that sums up the funding question, for the most part.
Wasn't this about adding to Clanton's school because growth is faster there? Not because Jemison residents feel like stepchildren to the BOE. Just my observation.
Posted by Likeitreallymatters (anonymous) on October 30, 2009 at 2:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I would venture to say that Thorsby needs expansion far worse than CES. They are so over crowded, it's unreal.
Posted by MomOf2 (anonymous) on October 30, 2009 at 3:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)
likeit, the boe bought land for a new thorsby school some time ago but for some reason the land they selected is outside the town limits, appears to have no chance of being annexed in anytime soon, and has no infrastructure, i.e., water/sewer and since it is outside the town limits odds of them getting it are slim to none. maybe this will give you some more insight on their decision making process. and if i read the story right if they shift some grades around they, ces, will not need the add'l classrooms. seems they have no problem bumping jhs down a grade to make it 10-12 but cannot seem to do the same in clanton.
Posted by chilly1104 (anonymous) on October 30, 2009 at 5:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The BOE also needs to address the issue that JMS's gym is crumbling around the children...just ask the BOE's head of maintenance. Rumor has it that they plan to tear it down with no plans to rebuild it. Where will JMS have PE?
If it is not replaced, five grades of PE classes and 12 groups will have to share JHS's gym floor:
JMS, JV, & Varisty boys basketball
JMS, JV, & Varisty girls basketball
JMS, JV, & Varsity volleyball
JMS, JV, & Varsity cheerleaders
Presently, with two gyms, athletes are bussed off campus to practice at local churches and/or have late night practices. Cheerleaders have no where at all to practice if it's wet or cold. In addition, two softball teams share the locker room with everyone else. There is no' way JHS's gym can take on more PE classes and teams.
Please don't say that CMS did it for years or Thorsby built their own gym...Jemison can do it too. Both those situations were completely unfair to those schools too.
Posted by kwsrgraves (anonymous) on October 31, 2009 at 2:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
chilly, not sure about your comment about the situations being unfair to the respective schools. But, NOT ECERYTHING in life is fair. My suggestion would be...how about everyone in Jemison/Thorsby run for BOE. IF they get elected, play silly, childish games and horde money for their own schools. That seems to be how some view this board. Everyone wants to cry foul because the school with the largest population gets money proportionate to their attendees.
This is the same cries I have heard since the 1970s. Back then it was money being devided on a race line. The old training school for the non-caucasion kids, versus the trade school for everyone. Bussing for kids in West End versus everyone. In the year 2070, there will be people crying about school money distribution...Earth versus Mars. Green kids versus everone else!
Posted by Likeitreallymatters (anonymous) on October 31, 2009 at 2:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I still don't understand moving 9th grade down to the middle school. My personal opinion is that the highschool should keep that grade and the 8th grade building in the back of the middle school could be given to the highschool for extra classrooms. That would leave the main JMS building for 7th and 8th grades, while 5th and 6th grades move on to the new building. As far as using the building that the 5th and 6th grades are in now, some rennovations would need to be done in order to make them accessible to older kids. They were originally built for K and 1st I think. There are no lockers there either, and the hallways are way too narrow to install lockers there.
Chilly is right about the gym. It is in shambles. Even the floor is peeling up. So some of that money for new construction shuld be used to construct a new gym that isn't threatening to crumble.
Posted by kwsrgraves (anonymous) on October 31, 2009 at 2:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Which is more important? Classrooms for education? Or, a gym for extracurricular activities? Seems like a no brainer to me. But I am all for a petty, childish argument on this issue!
Posted by Likeitreallymatters (anonymous) on November 2, 2009 at 7:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It's a safety issue. The gym is not suitable for safety reasons. i'm all well and good with new classrooms too, but the kids do not need to be in that gym. BTW, education goes on in the gym too. Don't insult the PE teachers.
Posted by kwsrgraves (anonymous) on November 2, 2009 at 7:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)
LIRM, thanks for the help. I forgot to tick off the PE instructors. :)
Posted by Likeitreallymatters (anonymous) on November 2, 2009 at 9:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)
They are an often overlooked demographic. lol Just don't say anything about their balls.
Posted by thuntj (anonymous) on November 2, 2009 at 2:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
How old are Clanton's school buildings verses Jemison, Thorsby, Isabella, Verbena, and Maplesvilles?
Post a comment (Terms of Use Policy)
(Requires free registration.)