Southeastern Greene School Board moving ahead with building plans
MAPLETOWN – Faced with a standing-room-only crowd that spilled outside the Mapletown Junior-Senior High School, the Southeastern Greene School Board voted Wednesday to take the first step in the formal planning process for construction of a new school. The board voted 7-1 to hire architects Hayes Design Group to submit the “appropriate paperwork” to the state Department of Education in the state’s planning and construction process (PlanCon A).
“PlanCon A is an application to the state to start the building process,” said Superintendent Dr. Philip Savini Jr., adding that the school board can stop the PlanCon process at any time.
School board member Gary Moser cast the lone dissenting vote to hire the architects. Director Darlene Bestwick was absent.
The board plans to build a new school for kindergarten through 12th grade, replacing the Mapletown building and Bobtown Elementary School. The project has been estimated at $18 million, while renovations have been estimated at $15 million to $18 million. The school board voted last month to proceed with plans for the new school.
Some in the crowd wanted a halt to the project before it even begins, applauding speakers to that effect and calling out their comments. However, others spoke out in favor of the project.
The school board accepted public comments during their regular business meeting when they took the vote on PlanCon A and afterward when they held a meeting dedicated to the project.
Thomas W. Fox, a Greensboro resident who has become an outspoken figure against the project and the tax raise that would be needed to cover the project costs, spoke about unemployment, poverty and the limited tax base in the school district. He said the district is losing students, and the residents cannot afford additional taxes.
Fox talked about high transportation and administration costs of the district. Speaking at both meetings, he said residents will not tolerate what he called misappropriation of money and will force a referendum vote on the issue or even recall the school board members if they proceed with the project.
Savini led a presentation during the project meeting, saying construction of a new building was the most cost-effective and comprehensive solution to the school district’s needs.
He said most students are located in Greensboro, and the school district would need about 45 acres of property there for a new school. The state, he said, will contribute to the cost of a new school, although he did not have a figure of how much of a contribution the district could expect.
Savini said many people have asked if the board considered a merger with another school district. He said there have been no formal discussions but he talked earlier that day to Carmichaels Area School District Superintendent James Zalar, who said the Carmichaels school board has discussed renovation, new construction or a merger and recently chose a building renovation project.
He said funding is also a concern, and the money for the new school would have to come from the state, a bond issue and a property tax increase. Savini said the board has to address requirements of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), flooding in the Mapletown school and safety concerns that will cost money and require some type of tax raise. Savini’s comments prefaced a video by Hayes Design Group that showed problems with the Mapletown and Bobtown buildings.
Several people addressed the ADA concerns. Among them was John Lorence Jr., civil rights specialist for Tri-County Patriots for Independent Living. Lorence said ADA became effective for public entities like school districts in 1992 and requires that the school district make its programs, services and activities accessible to the disabled. He said those who feel they have been discriminated against could pursue their rights in federal court, and the ramifications are immense.
A number of people said they simply cannot afford the project, and one man presented the school board with a petition of 527 property owners against the new building and another petition of 108 names in favor of recalling the school board members.
Some like John Burich commented that repairs should have been made to the buildings throughout the years. Conversely, resident Tim Shook pointed out that the district may end up paying more in the long run if it just renovates now.
Savini said the meeting Wednesday was an effort to collect information from the public that the school board would take into consideration.
In other matters, the school board, during the business meeting, voted to hire Jeffrey Snyder as assistant principal for kindergarten through 12th grade, at a salary of $55,000, effective July 29. The vote was again 7-1, with Moser voting no.
Savini said the assistant principal salary represented savings of $14,000 from what was budgeted for the position. He also said the school board is looking to save money on transportation, and the bus contractor has proposed cutting two buses, for a savings of about $50,000.