[A. Meeting Opening]
[00:00:06]
GOOD AFTERNOON. I'D LIKE TO CALL THE FEBRUARY 1ST, 2022 SCHOOL BOARD BUDGET WORK SESSION TO ORDER. FIRST, WE HAVE A PRESENTATION ON THE PROPOSED FY 2023 BUDGET FOR OPERATIONS IN
[B. Proposed FY 2023 Budget for Operations and FY 23-29 CIP]
FY 2023 TO 2029 CIP.MR. DAVIS. GOOD AFTERNOON, MADAM CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD DR.
DAUGHERTY. IT IS MY PLEASURE TO HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO CHAT A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE FUTURE OF OPERATIONS AND OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN FOR THE UPCOMING FIVE TO SIX YEAR PROGRAM. WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT SOME THINGS THAT WE HOPE WE CAN CONTINUE TO INVEST AND PERHAPS INVEST A LITTLE BIT MORE ON.
BUT IT'S THE THEME OF THIS BUDGET, FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT'S PERSPECTIVE, HAS BEEN OUR PEOPLE AND THE COMPENSATION ON THE PEOPLE, AND THAT ESPECIALLY RINGS TRUE IN OPERATIONS.
IT'S BEEN A GREAT NEWS SUCCESS STORY WITH THE TWO BOARDS DID WITH OUR TRANSPORTATION STAFF EARLIER THIS YEAR AND INCREASING THEIR COMPENSATION.
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY PLUS NEW BUS DRIVERS.
HEARD FROM A PRINCIPAL OVER THE WEEKEND.
SHE WANTED TO CELEBRATE WITH THIS BECAUSE THE LAST DOUBLE BACK IS GONE.
SO AND WE'RE HEARING THAT A LOT OF SCHOOLS, I WAS JUST CHATTING WITH CALVIN.
HAVE WE HAD SOME ABSENCES HERE DURING COVID NOW? WELL, YES. BUT BECAUSE THEY'VE RECRUITED SO WELL, WE'RE ABLE TO HANDLE THOSE TYPES OF SURGES AND WE'VE GOT ANOTHER 70 MORE IN TRAINING.
SO AGAIN, THAT'S JUST A GREAT EXAMPLE OF WHAT CAN HAPPEN IN ONE DEPARTMENT AND WE HOPE WILL HAPPEN IN OUR REMAINING OPERATIONS STAFF.
SO THIS DOES REMAIN OUR TOP PRIORITY AS YOU CONSIDER ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE BROUGHT BEFORE YOU. LET'S TALK ABOUT THE THINGS, THE INFRASTRUCTURE.
YOU KNOW, WE ALMOST 70 BUILDINGS THAT WE'VE GOT TO MAINTAIN, AND SOME OF THEM ARE VERY OLD. SOME OF THEM, WE STILL CATCHING UP BACK TO THE GREAT RECESSION AND BEYOND.
WE DEFERRED A LOT OF MAINTENANCE.
WE'RE DOING BETTER. BUT WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO CATCH UP A BIT MORE ON THE MARGINS.
AS I'M GOING TO DESCRIBE TO YOU.
SOME OF THESE SERVICES, RANGING FROM UTILITIES TO PAYING CARPENTERS AND SO FORTH ON CONTRACT AND PAYING ENGINEERS AND ARCHITECTS RISING COST.
AND THAT'S GOING TO BE AFFECT YOU THROUGHOUT THE BOARD, THROUGHOUT YOUR BUDGET TO INCLUDE, OF COURSE, OPERATIONS AND THE SERVICES THAT WE NEED TO BUY.
MOVING ON TO NEW AND REPLACEMENT SCHOOLS, WE ARE WELL UNDER THE WAY IN THE DESIGN OF THE TWO NEW MIDDLE SCHOOLS WHERE THE FUNDING WAS IDENTIFIED EARLIER THIS YEAR.
MR. CARSON IS GOING TO BE SHARING SOME MORE DETAILS ON THOSE TWO SCHOOLS IN A LITTLE WHILE AND THEN WE'VE GOT A NEEDS BASED CONSTRUCTION PLAN FOR NEW SCHOOLS, SOME REPLACEMENT SCHOOLS, SOME NEW SCHOOLS THAT WE REALLY NEED FOR THE CAPACITY AS THE COUNTY CONTINUES TO GROW. SO MORE DETAILS ON THAT LATER.
LET'S GET DOWN TO THE OPERATING BUDGET AND THE INVESTMENTS IN INFRASTRUCTURE.
A COUPLE DIFFERENT BUCKETS HERE.
NON-DISCRETIONARY, WE SEE INCREASES OF ABOUT FOUR MILLION.
I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU SOME DETAILS ON EACH OF THESE HVAC MAINTENANCE, UTILITIES, CUSTODIAL TRANSPORTATION OVER TIME AND THEN SOME OPPORTUNITIES TO CONTINUE TO IMPROVE MAINTENANCE AT ABOUT TWO AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS.
AND THAT INCLUDES BOTH OUR MAJOR MAINTENANCE AND OUR PROACTIVE PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE PROGRAMS OPPORTUNITIES AGAIN, WHERE WE CAN CONTINUE TO IMPROVE OUR SERVICES AND RESUME DOING SOME THINGS THAT STILL HADN'T BEEN DONE IN RECENT YEARS.
AND THEN FINALLY, ON THE RIGHT SIDE, WE DO HAVE TO FINANCE OUR DEBT AS WE'RE BRINGING THE NEW BUILDINGS ON BOARD, YOU KNOW, AN INCREASE OF $6 MILLION IN THE DEBT SERVICE FOR THE TWO MIDDLE SCHOOLS.
SO NOW TO DIG DEEPER IN EACH OF THOSE BULLETS THAT YOU JUST SAW IN THE PREVIOUS SLIDES JUST TO TAKE YOUR QUESTIONS, MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF EACH OF THESE CATEGORIES.
YOU KNOW, OUR CUSTODIAL CONTRACTS THAT WORK IN THE EVENING.
WE STILL HAVE THOSE CONTRACTORS IN PLACE WORKING VERY DILIGENTLY.
THEIR CONTRACTS DO ALLOW AN ANNUAL INCREASE IN WHAT THEY CHARGE US AND TO BE TRANSPARENT.
THEY WOULD LIKE TO INCREASE THOSE CHARGES EVEN MORE AS THEY'RE BEGINNING TO PAY THEIR EMPLOYEES 14 TO $16 AN HOUR, YOU KNOW, THEIR MARGINS ARE GETTING TIGHTER.
BUT THIS IS WHAT THEY'RE ALLOWED TO INCREASE IN REGARDS TO THE EXISTING CONTRACTS.
SO I THINK IT WOULD BE VERY IMPORTANT FOR US TO BUDGET THIS INCREASE.
HVAC MAINTENANCE HAS BEEN A BIG SUCCESS IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
THOSE THREE OR FOUR COMPANIES THAT WE'VE BROUGHT IN TO DO THE PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE, TO CHANGE THE FILTERS, TO FIND THOSE SMALL AND BIG THINGS THAT NEED TO BE REPAIRED.
YOU KNOW, HAVE FOUND SOME THINGS THAT NEED REPAIRS, AND I'M SHOWING THIS $1.23 MILLION.
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THAT'S REALLY MATCHES THE.FENCES THAT WE'VE BEEN INCURRING, AND WE NEED TO GO AHEAD AND PUT IT IN THE BUDGET.
AND AS WE CONTINUE TO UPGRADE AND HAVE THESE SERVICES IN PLACE, I'D LIKE TO BELIEVE THAT THAT'S GOING TO GO DOWN IN THE FUTURE BECAUSE WE'LL BE IN BETTER CONDITION THINGS.
THERE'S THE DEBT SERVICE THAT I MENTIONED FOR THE NEW CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS.
THE MAIN PIECE, AGAIN IS THE MIDDLE SCHOOL BOND FOR THOSE TWO NEW BUILDINGS THAT ARE UNDERWAY, TRAILER EXPENSE MEGA TRAILERS THAT ARE BEING USED AT AM DAVIS.
THEY WERE USED FOR REAMS ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, THE SWING SPACE.
SO THOSE LEASE COSTS WERE COVERED FOR THE REAMS PROJECT OUT OF THE CONSTRUCTION BUDGET.
NOW THAT THAT PROJECT IS CLOSED OUT AND COMPLETE, WE NEED TO FUND THESE TRAILERS FOR DAVIS, WHICH NEEDS TO BE REPLACED.
IT IS ON OUR LIST WITH OPERATING DOLLARS TO COVER THE TRAILER EXPENSE.
UTILITIES I MENTIONED INFLATION, WE KNOW THAT SOME RATES ARE GOING UP, SO THAT'S THIS INCREASE OF ABOUT FOUR HUNDRED AND TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS ANTICIPATES RATE INCREASES THAT WE'RE GETTING VERY STRONG SIGNALS.
WE'RE GOING TO SEE FROM OUR UTILITIES, PRIMARILY DOMINION POWER AND WE ARE OPENING A NEW SCHOOL. AND SO AS WE ADD MORE SQUARE FOOTAGE THAT NEEDS BASIC HEAT AND WATER, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE SOME EXPENSES FOR THOSE.
SO NOT A TREMENDOUS INCREASE, BUT ONE THAT WE THINK NEEDS TO BE A PART OF YOUR BUDGET.
TRANSPORTATION OVER TIME, THIS IS A BIG EXPENSE.
OUR DRIVERS ARE CONTRACTED TO DRIVE SIX HOURS A DAY AND THEY CAN DO THEIR DAILY MISSION PRETTY WELL ON THOSE SIX HOURS.
THEY MAY BE ASKED TO SUBSTITUTE FOR AN ABSENT DRIVER.
THEY MAY HAVE TO TAKE THE BUS TO THE SHOP AND GET FUEL AND TURNED IT IN FOR INSPECTION.
THEY MIGHT HAVE TO ATTEND SOME TRAINING MEETINGS, SO THAT ADDS UP.
OUR TOTAL EXPENSE HERE IS REALLY ABOUT $2 MILLION AND THIS IS AN INCREASE TO REALLY RIGHT SIZE IT TO GET IT SO THAT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE YEAR, WE DON'T HAVE TO COME AND ASK FOR MORE OR SHUFFLE FUNDS.
NOW WE DO HAVE OTHER CATEGORIES.
YOU KNOW, THERE ARE, FOR EXAMPLE, SUBSTITUTE BUS DRIVER EXPENSES JUST IN THE BUDGET.
AND WE MAY SEE KIND OF A SHIFT BETWEEN USING SUBSTITUTES AND PUTTING PEOPLE ON OVERTIME.
BUT THIS IS AN AMOUNT THAT WE NEED TO REALLY CONTINUE TO RIGHT-SIZE THE TRANSPORTATION BUDGET. NOW WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO ENHANCEMENTS OR THINGS THAT ARE OPTIONAL, MORE OPTIONAL FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION.
AND WE TALKED ABOUT THE PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE FOR HVAC AND THAT WAS HAS BEEN SO SUCCESSFUL. WE'D LIKE TO REPLICATE THAT SUCCESS IN A COUPLE OF OTHER AREAS ROOFING, ELECTRICIANS, AND THOSE IMPORTANT BACK FLOW DEVICES THAT WE'VE LEARNED SO MUCH ABOUT THIS YEAR. SO AGAIN, ASKING FOR JUST UNDER $320,000 TO PUT SOME MORE LOCAL FIRMS TO BUSINESS WITH US KEEPING SOME OF OUR CRITICAL SYSTEMS UP AND RUNNING AND PREVENTING THEM FROM BREAKING. GOT AN INTERESTING VEHICLE FLEET, AND THIS IS NOT OUR SCHOOL BUSSES, THIS IS THE VEHICLES THAT TOOK A MASK OUT TO SCHOOLS TODAY, THAT CARRY THE MAIL, THAT HAVE SPECIALIZED EQUIPMENT ON THEM FOR OUR OWN CARPENTERS AND ELECTRICIANS AND PLUMBERS AND HVAC TECHNICIANS.
AS YOU SEE, WE'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE LESS THAN 200 VEHICLES, SOME OF WHICH ARE SPECIALIZED IN TRAILERS, AND WE HAVEN'T REPLACED ANY IN QUITE AWHILE SINCE 2016.
SO THAT'S COMING UP ON SIX YEARS.
SO WE'D LIKE TO START A REPLACEMENT PROCESS.
WE'RE NOT ASKING FOR A BRAND NEW FLEET, BUT IF WE COULD DO ABOUT 10 LIGHT VEHICLES IN A BOX TRUCK EVERY YEAR, WE'D WE'D START TO KEEP THE FLEET REFRESHED.
AND OH, BY THE WAY, IT WILL REQUIRE LESS MAINTENANCE AND EXPENSES AND ENSURE THAT THOSE VEHICLES ARE UP AND RUNNING WHEN WE HAVE THOSE EMERGENCIES AND NEED TO SEND OUR FOLKS OUT. SO FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS WOULD BE A NICE START TO REPLACING OUR FLEET.
AS YOU KNOW, WE HAVE SOME OLD BUILDINGS, WE HAVE SOME ORIGINAL FURNITURE IN SOME OF THOSE BUILDINGS, AND WE HAVEN'T HAD A PROGRAM IN PLACE TO ROTATE THE FURNITURE OUT AND WE'D LIKE TO START IT AND PERHAPS GROW IT IN FUTURE YEARS, STARTING WITH SOME OF OUR OLDER SCHOOLS THAT ARE NOT ON THE REPLACEMENT LIST AND LOOK AT THE FOURTH AND FIFTH GRADE CLASSROOMS AT FOUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, YOU COULD REPLACE ALL OF THAT FOR FOUR HUNDRED AND SEVENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS.
AGAIN, WE HOPE THAT THAT WOULD BE A FIRST STEP TO PERHAPS A MORE AGGRESSIVE REPLACEMENT PLAN THAT WOULD BE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE EXPENSIVE, AS WE'VE SHOWN ON THE SLIDE.
PAINTING AND FLOORING, THESE THINGS SHOULD BE DONE ON A REGULAR BASIS, BUT HAVEN'T IN
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RECENT YEARS, AND OUR STUDENTS AND STAFF DESERVE TO HAVE NOT ONLY BRAND NEW BUILDINGS IN SOME AREAS, BUT THE ONES THAT ARE STILL STANDING AFTER DECADES NEED TO BE FRESHENED UP.AND IT'S NOT JUST NECESSARILY FOR VISUALS IN REGARDS TO PAINTING, BUT FLOORING, CARPET, AND TILE. THEY NEED TO BE REPLACED.
HERE'S SOME SUGGESTED TIME FRAMES IN REGARDS TO HOW OFTEN IT'D BE NICE TO DO THOSE THINGS, AND AGAIN, A FIRST STEP WOULD BE $500,000 TO BEGIN TO DO PAINTING, TILE, AND CARPET REPLACEMENT.
PAY AS YOU GO MAJOR MAINTENANCE.
OUR BOARD, MAKES AN ANNUAL CONTRIBUTION OUT OF THE OPERATING FUND TO TO ASSIST IN A GREAT WAY WITH MAJOR MAINTENANCE.
AND WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO STEP IT UP EACH YEAR.
IF WE STEP IT UP BY $500,000, THEN THAT TOTAL CONTRIBUTION, AS YOU'LL SEE A LITTLE LATER, BE JUST UNDER 10 MILLION.
AND YOU KNOW HOW BADLY WE NEED TO DO THIS AND CONTINUE TO DO THIS FUNCTION.
MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL, PLUMBING.
AND LET'S RECALL ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WERE IN THE RECENT EXECUTIVE ORDER FROM THE GOVERNOR, WHICH IS TO MARSHAL OUR RESOURCES TO CONTINUE TO IMPROVE AIR QUALITY.
I'M PROUD OF WHAT WE'VE ALREADY DONE AND THERE'S MORE WORK THAT CAN BE DONE, AND THIS IS NOT OUR TIME TO TAKE OUR EYE OFF THE BALL IN MAJOR MAINTENANCE, YOU RECEIVED AGAIN THE PRESENTATION ON WHAT WE'VE HAD JUST CONTINUE TO HOLD THE COURSE, KIND OF LIKE OUR INDIVIDUAL SAVINGS PLANS WHERE WE NEED TO WATCH THOSE GROW OVER TIME.
THIS NEEDS TO CONTINUE TO GROW OVER TIME SO THAT WE'RE IN OUR BUILDINGS ARE IN OUR BEST CONDITION. ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THOSE OPERATING EXPENSES BEFORE I MOVE ON TO CIP? BOARD MEMBERS, ANY DISCUSSION? I HAVE A QUESTION. YES, MS. HEFFRON. OK, SO THE VEHICLE REPLACEMENT PROGRAM.
WHAT DO WE HAVE IN PLACE NOW AND IS THAT GOING TO BE A RECURRING? YOU SAID THAT WAS GOING TO BE A 10-YEAR PROGRAM.
AND WHAT KIND OF RECURRING EXPENSES ARE WE LOOKING AT? I'M SORRY. IT WAS THE 15 YEARS FOR THAT.
OKAY, NEVER MIND. [INAUDIBLE].
ALL RIGHT. SO THERE WAS A LOT OF NUMBERS.
SO THE VEHICLE REPLACEMENT PROGRAM, WHAT'S IN PLACE NOW AND FOR HOW LONG IS THAT GOING TO BE A RECURRING LINE ITEM? RIGHT. WE HAVEN'T REPLACED ANY IN THE LAST SIX YEARS.
SO WE WOULD LIKE TO BEGIN TO REPLACE THEM ON A CONTINUAL BASIS.
REPLACING 10 VEHICLES IN ONE TRUCK IS ABOUT FIVE PERCENT OF THE FLEET, SO THAT'S REALLY A 20-YEAR CYCLE.
SO ACTUALLY, IT'D BE BETTER TO, YOU KNOW, AT LEAST DOUBLE THIS, YOU KNOW, TO BE ABLE TO MEET THE 10-YEAR GOAL. AND SOME OF THOSE SPECIALIZED VEHICLES, YOU KNOW, DO HAVE THE HIGHER PRICE TAGS.
SO WE COULD CERTAINLY LOOK AT THE TOTAL FLEET AND GIVE YOU A BETTER IDEA OF WHAT THE ACTUAL COST WOULD BE IF WE WERE TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE AGGRESSIVE HERE, BUT IT WOULD BE OVER A MILLION A YEAR.
BUT SO HOW IS THAT? HOW'S THAT TYPICALLY BEEN DONE IN THE PAST? WAS IT JUST LIKE YOU'D JUST DO A BIG PURCHASE OF A FLEET OR HOW DO WE ACQUIRE THE? THESE WERE BOUGHT OVER TIME.
AS YOU CAN SEE, 68 OF THE VEHICLES WERE PURCHASED IN 2010 OR EARLIER.
SO, YEAH. AND YOU KNOW, AND SOME OF THEM ARE LIGHT VEHICLES.
BY THAT, I MEAN A PICKUP TRUCK OR AN SUV THAT ARE PRIMARILY JUST MOVING SMALL ITEMS AND PERSONNEL FROM JOB TO JOB.
YOU KNOW, OUR CUSTODIAL FLOATERS, THEY HAVE VEHICLES TO GO FROM JOB TO JOB.
BUT THEN THE MORE SPECIALIZED EQUIPMENT WOULD INCLUDE SOMEBODY THAT HAS A LOT OF HVAC EQUIPMENT OR LOCKSMITHS.
FOLKS THAT ARE IN THE INDIVIDUAL TRADES DO HAVE SOME SPECIALIZED EQUIPMENT THAT SIMPLY HAS NOT BEEN REPLACED AT ALL.
AND SO SOME OF THAT IS AGING, AND WE CAN DRIVE IT UNTIL IT BREAKS DOWN AND IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE IN FIXABLE.
OR WE CAN BE SMART AND START TO REPLACE SOME OF THE OLDEST VEHICLES ON A REGULAR BASIS.
AND THEN YOU WERE SAYING DOUBLING THIS WOULD PUT EACH VEHICLE BASICALLY AT A 10-YEAR CYCLE. YES.
WE'VE GOT JUST UNDER 200 VEHICLES.
SO IF YOU REPLACE 20 VEHICLES A YEAR AND THE FLEET MAY NEED TO GROW SLIGHTLY AS WE GET BIGGER IN THE SYSTEM GETS BIGGER.
SO YOU CAN SAY, OK, AFTER 10 YEARS, WE MIGHT NEED TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIVE VEHICLES INSTEAD OF TWO HUNDRED. SAME IS TRUE OF BUSSES TO [INAUDIBLE].
SO THE FURNITURE REPLACEMENT PROGRAM SLIDE WAS LOOKING AT.
SO WE HAVE 740 OR 470 THIS YEAR.
470 THIS YEAR? WE DON'T HAVE ANYWHERE REQUESTING THIS SO WE'RE REQUESTING FOUR HUNDRED AND SEVENTY THOUSAND THIS YEAR TO REPLACE AGE FURNITURE.
BUT THEN THIS IS A 15-YEAR CYCLE WOULD COST 3.8 PER YEAR.
THAT'S CORRECT. AND SO THAT WOULD BE TO REPLACE JUST.
ALL FURNITURE AND ALL SCHOOLS EVERY 15 YEARS.
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PER YEAR? YES.THAT WOULD BE LIKE NEARLY 60 MILLION DOLLAR ENDEAVOR.
OK. MM HMM. BECAUSE WE THINK ABOUT A NEW SCHOOL, WE SPEND JUST UNDER A MILLION DOLLARS TO FURNISH IT, AND THAT'S AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
AND OBVIOUSLY, WE HAVE SOME LARGER SCHOOLS WHO I CAN'T RECALL WHAT IT COST IT.
IN MANCHESTER MIDDLE, BUT I'M SURE IT WAS MORE THAN THE ELEMENTARY.
I'M JUST THINKING OF THE 70 SEEMS LIKE A LOW ASK.
AND I'M JUST KIND OF WONDERING WHY.
YEAH, IN A YEAR WE'RE, YOU KNOW, REALLY NEED TO, YOU KNOW, FOCUS ON THE COMPENSATION, WE WANT TO TAKE SOME SMALL STEPS IN THE FACILITIES AREA.
AGAIN, MR. [INAUDIBLE] DERIVED MULTIPLE PLANS AND WE'VE DISCUSSED SOME OF THEM WITH MR. MEISTER AND WE'VE EVEN TALKED ABOUT YEAR END MONEY.
IT MIGHT BE YOU COULD AFFORD TO GIVE US A SMALLER AMOUNT OF THIS AND WE COULD HAVE SOME YEAR END MONEY TO GET TO THIS GOAL, OR PERHAPS EVEN BEYOND IN THE FUTURE.
AND THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE DOING WITH THE SCIENCE TABLES RIGHT NOW, YOU KNOW, YEAR IN MONEY. SO THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT'S TECHNICALLY FURNITURE.
I APPRECIATE IT. YOU'RE WELCOME.
MS. BAILEY. I JUST HAVE A QUICK QUESTION IN THE PAY AS YOU GO MAJOR MAINTENANCE FUND.
YOU MENTIONED THAT WE'RE GETTING TOWARDS A $10 MILLION TOTAL IN THAT FUND.
IS THAT MONEY HOUSED IN SOME KIND OF INTEREST YIELDING BOND OF SOME NATURE? A LOT OF MONEY THAT YOU COULD CAPTURE SOME GROWTH IN.
I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS A QUESTION FOR MR. [INAUDIBLE]. I'M JUST CURIOUS.
THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY THAT OBVIOUSLY IS JUST HOUSED WAITING FOR SOME MAJOR MAINTENANCE DISASTER. GIVEN THE LAST SIX MONTHS OF THE STOCK MARKET, IT COULD HAVE YIELDED A LOT OF GROWTH. YEAH. SO I THINK THE WAY YOU SHOULD THINK ABOUT THIS CLOSE TO TEN MILLION OR NINE AND A HALF THIS YEAR IS THIS LOOKS AND FEELS VERY SIMILAR TO ANY OTHER LINE ITEM YOU HAVE IN YOUR BUDGET, RIGHT? THIS IS THESE ARE DOLLARS THAT ARE PART OF THAT $760 MILLION OVERALL FUND THAT JOSH AND HIS TEAM ALLOCATE TOWARDS, WHETHER IT BE HVAC OR OTHER THINGS, ANY GIVEN YEAR. ALL OF THAT, IF YOU WANT TO CALL IT CAPITAL, THAT'S THERE LIKE THE REST OF THE SEVEN HUNDRED AND SIXTY SITS AT THE COUNTY UNTIL WE USE IT, SO IT'S PART OF THEIR ASSET MANAGEMENT PLAN AT THE COUNTY.
THIS BECAUSE WE'RE PUTTING IT INTO THE CIP.
I'LL ADMIT IT, IT HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO STICK AROUND A LITTLE LONGER, BUT IT'S THE SAME GENERAL CONCEPT.
AND THE TREASURER DOES [INAUDIBLE] ABSOLUTELY.
THANK YOU, MR. [INAUDIBLE]. MR. HARTER. I'LL BE.
HEY, HOW ARE YOU DOING, MR. DAVIS, THANK YOU.
REALLY QUICK, JUST A QUESTION ON TRANSPORTATION OVER TIME WITH US BRINGING ON MORE BUS DRIVERS FULL TIME.
DO WE THINK THAT THE OVERTIME COST IS GOING TO BE REDUCED AT ALL? BECAUSE I KNOW, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG.
PREVIOUS YEARS, WERE WE NOT USING A LOT OF THOSE OVERTIME FUNDS FOR DRIVERS THAT HAD TO BE WORKING WAY PAST [INAUDIBLE]? RIGHT. IT COULD BE.
FRYE GOT TOGETHER WITH MS. CAMPBELL AND MR. [INAUDIBLE] STAFF, AND THEY WENT BACK TO LOOK AT THE LAST KIND OF FULL YEAR OF OPERATIONS BEFORE COVID AND HOW MUCH OVERTIME WAS EXPENDED THEN.
AND THERE WAS THERE WAS A SHORTAGE THAT YEAR.
IT WASN'T AS SIGNIFICANT AS WHAT WE'VE GONE THROUGH.
BUT TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, IF WE ARE FULLY STAFFED, WE WILL HAVE THE BETTER OPPORTUNITY TO USE LESS OVERTIME SO WE WON'T HAVE THAT SALARY SAVINGS AT THE END OF THE YEAR AND PERHAPS NOT SPEND AS MUCH OF THAT OVERTIME BUDGET.
BUT I MENTIONED THERE'S ALSO A SUBSTITUTE DRIVER LINE IN THE BUDGET, SO THAT MIGHT SWELL A BIT. I WOULD RATHER HAVE, LET'S SAY, 20 OR 30 SUBSTITUTES THAT AREN'T ON CONTRACT THAT JUST WANT TO WORK MORNINGS THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO GET PAID THE HOURLY WAGE.
YOU KNOW, THAT'S MORE EFFICIENT THAN SENDING A CONTRACTED DRIVER OUT THERE TO DO THREE EXTRA RUNS AND PICK UP THEIR WAGES, ESPECIALLY IF THEY'RE GETTING BEYOND 40 HOURS A WEEK.
SO IN THE CIP, YOU JUST RECEIVED A PRESENTATION IN LATE JANUARY ALREADY SEEMS A WHILE AGO, BUT IT LOOKS AT BOTH NEW AND REBUILT SCHOOLS, AND I'VE JUST GOT A COUPLE OF HIGHLIGHTS TO SHARE.
WE KNOW THAT THE COUNTY CONTINUES TO GROW.
WE'VE SEEN THE ENROLLMENT PROJECTIONS THAT WE IN SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN PERFORMING FOR YEARS THAT HAVE PREDICTED THOUSANDS OF MORE STUDENTS.
THE COUNTIES DEVELOPED A MODEL WHICH NOW IN ITS SECOND YEAR OF USE, IS SUGGESTING OUR
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ENROLLMENT MIGHT INCREASE BY 5700 STUDENTS IN LESS THAN FIVE YEARS.SO WE DON'T HAVE SPACE FOR ALL THOSE SCHOOLS AND ALL THOSE STUDENTS, EXCUSE ME.
AND WE APPRECIATE THAT THE COUNTY'S YOU KNOW MORE IN CONCERT WITH THIS IN UNDERSTANDING THE GROWTH AND THE NEED TO RESPOND TO THAT GROWTH.
WE'RE ADDING MOSTLY WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THAT OPENING THAT'S COMING UP THIS SUMMER.
AND YOU'VE SEEN OTHERS THAT WE HAVE LISTED FOR ELEMENTARY'S EITHER TO BE BUILT NEW OR TO REPLACE, TOTAL OF FIVE OF THEM.
THREE NEW OR REBUILT MIDDLE SCHOOLS, THAT'S ONE NEW THAT WE'RE GETTING READY TO START AT THE WESTERN AREA.
THE TWO REBUILT SCHOOLS THAT ARE ON THE LIST AND A NEW HIGH SCHOOL, NEW CAPACITY WHICH IS NEEDED AND A HIGH SCHOOL EDITION.
SO IT'S AN INTERESTING LIST, IT'S A LIST THAT WE NEED TO.
WE'VE GOT SOME VERY OVERCROWDED SCHOOLS NOW, AS YOU'RE WELL AWARE, TOMAHAWK CREEK AND COSBY HIGH SCHOOL FALLING CREEK, YOU KNOW, AND SO WERE SOME PROJECTS ARE IN PLACE NOW AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL, BUT THAT'S WHERE THE HIGH SCHOOL IS NEEDED AND REDISTRICTING ALONE CAN'T SOLVE IT.
AND WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING AT REDISTRICTING OPTIONS AND WE'LL BRING THEM TO YOU WHEN THEY'RE RELEVANT AND BIG ENOUGH FOR YOU TO CONSIDER.
WE'RE DELIGHTED THAT WE GOT A RUNNING START WITH THE [INAUDIBLE] BONDS TO GET THOSE TWO MIDDLE SCHOOLS UNDERWAY, AND THAT PROVIDES THE GREAT BULK OF THE FUNDING.
WE'RE GOING TO FIND OTHER WAYS TO FUND THAT.
AND AGAIN, THE COUNTY IS LOOKING TOWARDS A REFERENDUM.
NOVEMBER IS GOING TO BE HERE BEFORE WE KNOW IT.
AND THAT'S ONE OF THE CHALLENGES OF THE TWO BOARDS IS TO DEFINE WHAT'S GOING TO PERHAPS BE FUNDED BY THE REFERENDUM.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE FOR OUR FORMAL PRESENTATION.
WE'D CERTAINLY BE HAPPY TO PARTICIPATE WITH YOU ON A DISCUSSION OF THE CIP PROJECTS, IF YOU'D LIKE TO AT THIS TIME.
BOARD MEMBERS, IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION.
MR. HARTER? YES, MADAM CHAIR, THANK YOU.
AND I GUESS TO ADDRESS ALL OF MY FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS.
A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, ME AND DR.
DAUGHERTY AND MR. CAROL FROM THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, WE WENT DOWN TO MATOACA MIDDLE SCHOOL TO TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT WAS BUILT, THE NEW WING, WHICH WAS OPENED LAST YEAR AND WHAT IS LEFT WITH THE REMAINING SCHOOL. AND GUYS, THEY BUILT HALF A SCHOOL WALK, YOU KNOW, AND THAT WAS IT.
AND SO I WANTED TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY SUPPORT TO ENTERTAIN DISCUSSION ON IF WE HAVE EXTRA FUNDS AVAILABLE AT THE END, HOW WE LOOKED AT DOING THE ADDITION ONTO THOMAS DALE.
BECAUSE IF I'M CORRECT, THE THOMAS DALE AND MATOACA MIDDLE ARE THE ONLY TWO SCHOOLS THAT ARE STILL SOMEWHAT SPLIT WHERE STUDENTS WOULD HAVE TO TRANSIT OUTSIDE AND IF THERE IS ANY REMAINING FUNDS THAT ARE LEFT FROM SAVINGS THAT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO TRY TO MAYBE LOOK AT PUTTING THIS THE CIP AROUND THE SAME TIME THAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT DOING THE ADDITION ONTO THOMAS DALE.
THE OTHER SCHOOL THAT'S DOWN THERE IS BUILT IN, I BELIEVE, WAS BUILT IN THE SIXTIES.
THEY HAVE TO HAVE FOUR SEPARATE TIMES FOR LUNCH BECAUSE THE CAFETERIAS WAS BUILT FOR A SMALLER CROWD OF PEOPLE.
BUT IT'S JUST WHEN YOU WHEN YOU GO DOWN THERE AND YOU ACTUALLY TAKE A LOOK AT IT.
AND IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO ACCOMPANY ME DOWN THERE TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT, IT'S REALLY A STARK CONTRAST. THEY BUILT A WING OF A SCHOOL.
IT'S NOT CONNECT IT TO THE OTHER SCHOOL AND.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S JUST, YOU KNOW, A NUMBER OF CHALLENGES PROBABLY THAT WILL COME UP, I BELIEVE THERE'S AN UNDERGROUND CHILLER IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE LAST IT'S IN THE COUNTY THAT I COULD BE WRONG ON THAT.
SO THERE MAY BE SOME FURTHER INFRASTRUCTURE THINGS, BUT ALSO I'M ASKING THIS TO ENTERTAIN THE DISCUSSION, IF WE CAN PLEASE CONSIDER THAT IF THERE IS MONEY REMAINING AT THE END, THAT WE WOULD LOOK AT FINISHING [INAUDIBLE] MIDDLE SCHOOL.
I'D BE HAPPY TO HAVE THAT DISCUSSION TO LOOK INTO IT A LITTLE BIT CLOSER.
I WOULD BE REALLY INTERESTED IN TAKING A WALK DOWN AND SEEING THE FACILITY.
I WAS THERE WHEN THEY CUT THE RIBBON, BUT I HAVEN'T BEEN THERE SINCE.
SO I'D LIKE TO SEE IT. AND WITH STUDENTS IN THERE AND YEAH, JUST TO REALLY JUST GET A BIGGER PICTURE AND HEAR BACK FROM STAFF WITH THEIR, YOU KNOW WHAT THE FEASIBILITY IS? I DO.
I WENT DOWN THERE, NOT INSIDE, BUT I DID KIND OF TOUR OUTSIDE TO SEE IT A FEW MONTHS BACK. SO YES, I WOULD ALSO SUPPORT THAT AS WELL.
ANYBODY ELSE? MS. HAINES. I CAN WAIT BECAUSE I WAS GOING TO ADD THAT ON TO MY OTHER COMMENTS, IF THAT MAKES
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SENSE, BECAUSE THEY'RE KIND OF RELATED.I ESPECIALLY LIKE THE COMMENT ABOUT WITH EXTRA MONEY OR ANY MONEY THAT'S LEFT AND GIVEN OUR HISTORY WITH HOW WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO SAVE MONEY DURING CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS, YOU JUST I MEAN, THAT WOULD BE IDEAL GIVEN THE SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES AND THE COST AND EVERYTHING GOING UP. I'M NOT SURE THAT'S GOING TO BE OUR FUTURE, BUT IT CERTAINLY WOULD BE NICE.
IT DOES SEEM REASONABLE TO FINISH A SCHOOL THAT WAS STARTED WITH THE EXPECTATION THAT THE OTHER HALF WOULD ONE DAY BE BUILT.
TO BE HONEST, THAT WAS PRIOR TO, YOU KNOW, MY TIME ON THIS BOARD AND WHEN MR. THOMPSON SPOKE OF IT THE OTHER NIGHT AT THE BOARD MEETING, THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME I'D EVER REALLY CLUED INTO THE FACT THAT THERE WAS EVER A PROMISE OR AN EXPECTATION THAT THE SECOND HALF OF MATOACA MIDDLE WOULD BE BUILT ON ANY TIMELINE WHATSOEVER.
BUT I THINK GIVEN THE FACT THAT IT'S NOT AN OVERCROWDED BUILDING AT THIS POINT IN TIME YET, IT'S AN OLD BUILDING AND OBVIOUSLY HAS FLAWS AND PROBLEMS. IT IS SOMETHING WE SHOULD TAKE A LOOK AT, AND IT CERTAINLY FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE.
I'M NEVER AGAINST GIVING STUDENTS AND STAFF NEW BUILDINGS IF THEIR FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE.
THANKS FOR BRINGING IT UP, I HAD NO IDEA.
AND I SAID IT'S CONNECTED TO MY COMMENTS BECAUSE I, YOU KNOW, WE LOST HAD HAD A BRIEF DISCUSSION IN JANUARY AND IT TAKES TIME FOR THE BOARD TO DIGEST ALL OF THIS AND TO SEE, YOU KNOW, WHAT COULD BE MISSING, LIKE WHAT YOU BROUGHT UP OR.
I WANTED TO KIND OF SHARE SOME OF MY THOUGHTS, HAVING HAD A MONTH TO TO DIGEST ALL OF THIS AND TO ALWAYS BE THINKING NOT JUST ABOUT OUR OWN DISTRICT, RIGHT, BUT ABOUT THE WHOLE COUNTY.
EVEN WHEN THAT IS HARD AND WE GET SIGNIFICANT PRESSURE FROM OUR CONSTITUENTS.
SO THE FIRST THING IS, AS I WAS LOOKING AT PREVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, SORT OF HISTORICALLY, WE HAVE BUNDLES ONE TWO, THREE FOUR AND THERE CAN BE SOME MOVEMENT.
BUT HISTORICALLY THAT IS A PRIORITY ORDER AND A RELIEF SCHOOL FOR OLD HUNDRED, WHICH WILL GET A MEGA TRAILER THIS SUMMER, WAS PUT IN BUNDLE FOUR AND I HAD SOME TIME TO GO AND LOOK AT OUR NUMBERS AND USING COUNTY PLANNING DEPARTMENT.
WE PRESENTED TO THE MIDLOTHIAN SPECIAL AREA PLANNING COMMITTEE IN MARCH AND [INAUDIBLE] OF LAST YEAR THAT THERE ARE ONE THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED THIRTY FIVE ALREADY APPROVED UNITS THAT ARE PLANNED FOR FAMILY ZONE FOR OLD HUNDRED AND THE NEXT ONE OF FIVE YEARS.
AND THAT WAS A YEAR AGO, SO I SUSPECT IT'S MANY MORE UNITS THAN THAT.
AND WHEREAS AND BUNDLE NUMBER THREE, YOU HAVE A NEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FOR THE UPPER MAGNOLIA GREEN AREA, AND MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THAT IS A VERY SIMILAR TO THE OLD HUNDRED RELIEF SCHOOL.
IT'S A RELIEF FOR THE NEW MOSELEY SCHOOL, WHICH IS NOT YET BUILT, BUT WILL, LIKE OLD HUNDRED BE A CAPACITY BASICALLY AS SOON AS IT'S BUILT.
SO IN MY MIND, AFTER REVIEWING THE DATA, THE SCHOOL SHOULD BE EQUAL PRIORITY BECAUSE THEY'RE BOTH IN AN AREA THAT HAVE EXTENSIVE GROWTH AND ONE IS IN AN AREA THAT ALREADY HAS KIDS THAT'LL BE IN TRAILERS.
SO THAT'S ONE THING TO JUST LIKE THINK ABOUT IS WHERE, YOU KNOW, I DON'T I THINK THOSE SHOULD TWO SCHOOLS SHOULD NOT BE SEPARATED BECAUSE IN TERMS OF PUTTING SEATS, KIDS IN AND SCHOOLS AND NOT TRAILERS, THEY'RE IN THE SAME CATEGORY.
I HAD OBVIOUSLY I WAS A LITTLE BIT SURPRISED BECAUSE MIDLOATHIAN MIDDLE SCHOOL WAS IN [INAUIDBLE] NUMBER THREE WHEN WE VOTED IN FEBRUARY.
BUT AGAIN, DIGGING INTO THE DATA AND WHAT HAS CHANGED AND I BROUGHT THIS UP IN [INAUDIBLE] TSO COMMITTEE.
I THINK ALL OF US PROBABLY HAVE FIVE FRIENDS THAT HAVE MOVED DURING THIS PANDEMIC, RIGHT? AND WE'VE SEEN THE CRAZY GROWTH IN CONSTRUCTION.
AND THAT MEANS THAT SOMETHING THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A WANT FROM A SCHOOL BOARD PERSPECTIVE, YOU KNOW, WE COULD HAVE DONE.
NOW WE HAVE TO FOCUS STRICTLY ON GETTING KIDS OUT OF TRAILERS AND TAKING THINGS OFF OUR LIST THAT ARE SCHOOLS IN SEVERE NEED OF REPAIR.
WE DON'T GET TO DO ONCE RIGHT NOW.
AND SO. FROM A SCHOOL BOARD PERSPECTIVE, OBVIOUSLY, I UNDERSTAND WHY MIDLOATHIAN MIDDLE
[00:30:06]
DOES NEED TO MOVE DOWN THE PRIORITY LIST.SO IT'S NOT THAT I, YOU KNOW, DON'T LOVE THE IDEA AND IT'S HARD, RIGHT? WE GET PRESSURED BY OUR CONSTITUENTS, BUT WE NEED TO PUT KIDS IN SCHOOLS, NOT TRAILERS.
AND WE NEED TO START WITH SCHOOLS LIKE [INAUDIBLE] AND [INAUDIBLE] DAVIS THAT ARE IN CRITICAL NEED AND OVERCROWDED SCHOOLS LIKE TOMAHAWK AND FALLING CREEK.
SO FOCUSING ON PRIORITIES EVEN WHEN CONSTITUENTS PULL US.
IT CAN BE HARD. AND THEN MY THIRD COMMENT IS KIND OF A WHOLE COUNTY THING LOOKING ABOUT THE HIGH SCHOOL BECAUSE I HAD HEARD A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A RUMOR OUT THERE THAT WE DON'T NEED A HIGH SCHOOL. SO I KIND OF DUG INTO CAPACITY NUMBERS, AND I THINK THAT'S A RUMOR. IT'S OBVIOUS WE NEED A HIGH SCHOOL, BUT SOME THINGS THAT CAME OUT IN DISCUSSIONS ARE PEOPLE MENTIONED IT'S NOT JUST COSBY THAT'S AT CAPACITY.
IF YOU LOOK AT PROGRAM CAPACITY NEXT YEAR, IT WILL ACTUALLY BE HIGHER AT MEADOWBROOK HIGH SCHOOL. SO MEADOWBROOK WILL BE AT ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTEEN PERCENT PROGRAM CAPACITY NEXT YEAR, AND COSBY WILL BE AT ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTEEN PERCENT.
I'VE HEARD CONCERNS THAT A NEW HIGH SCHOOL IN THE FAR WEST PORTION OF THE COUNTY WILL NOT RELIEVE OTHER SCHOOLS LIKE NOT JUST MEADOWBROOK, BUT MANCHESTER HIGH SCHOOL IS AT ONE HUNDRED AND ONE PERCENT PROGRAM CAPACITY.
SO WE DO HAVE SIGNIFICANT CAPACITY ISSUES IN OUR HIGH SCHOOLS.
A MORE CENTRALLY LOCATED HIGH SCHOOL WOULD ENABLE STUDENTS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR AMAZING [INAUDIBLE] PROGRAMS THAT, YOU KNOW, CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION IS A IS STRONGLY SUPPORTED BY THIS BOARD.
SO A SCHOOL LOCATED CLOSER TO CTC [INAUDIBLE] WOULD HELP WITH THAT.
SO I'D LIKE TO ASK THE BOARD WHAT OTHER SOLUTIONS HAVE WE NOT EXPLORED, LIKE MOVING THE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER OUT OF COSBY TO FREE UP MORE SPACE FOR THE GROWING MAGNOLIA GREEN COMMUNITY.
I DIDN'T REALIZE, BUT COSBY'S ONLY FIVE MINUTES AWAY, PER GOOGLE MAPS FROM THE MAGNOLIA GREEN COMMUNITY. SO IF YOU MOVED KIDS IN THE [INAUDIBLE] PROGRAM OUT OF COSBY, THAT WOULD PROVIDE SPACE AND YOU COULD MOVE THE HEALTH SCIENCE PROGRAM INTO A SCHOOL THAT DID HAVE SOME SEATS. NOT FOR LONG CAUSE I THINK WE'RE GOING TO HAVE ANOTHER TWO THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED HIGH SCHOOL KIDS AND WE ONLY HAVE 1600 SEATS SPREAD ALL OVER THE PLACE.
SO I REALIZED THAT THE MY COMMENTS ABOUT LAND IS REALLY FOR THE COUNTY.
SO I GUESS I'M ASKING THAT WE GO TO THE COUNTY AND SEEING THAT A MORE CENTRALLY LOCATED HIGH SCHOOL COULD BE WHAT IS BEST FOR THE ENTIRE COUNTY.
YOU KNOW, DOES THE COUNTY HAVE LAND THAT IS MORE CENTRALLY LOCATED THAT THEY COULD GIVE US FOR A HIGH SCHOOL? SO I'M JUST THROWING A TON OF THINGS OUT THERE FOR HAVING A DISCUSSION AND THINGS TO THINK ABOUT AND CHECK BACK WITH COUNTY PARTNERS TO SEE THEIR THOUGHTS.
BUT I'M LOOKING AT THIS FROM A WHOLE COUNTY.
WHAT AM I MISSING ANGLE? MR. HARTER.
I DO UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, I THINK ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES THAT WE DISCUSSED BEFORE WAS THAT IT'S A CAPACITY ISSUE ALMOST EVERYWHERE AND THE NEED TO HAVE THAT OTHER HIGH SCHOOL BUILT IS GOING TO NECESSITATE US AT A CERTAIN POINT TO HAVE TO REDISTRICT AND CONSIDER WHAT PROGRAMS ARE, WHAT ARE THE SCHOOLS.
BUT RIGHT NOW WE'D BE ROBBING FROM PETER TO PAY PAUL IF WE TOOK A SPECIALTY CENTER WITH I BELIEVE THEY HAVE 200 STUDENTS OR SO IN THE SPECIALTY CENTER AND POSSIBLY MOVED IT TO ANOTHER SCHOOL. YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT WE DO HAVE SOME SCHOOLS THAT HAVE MORE CAPACITY IN MATOACA HIGH SCHOOL DOES HAVE CAPACITY, BUT IT'S ALSO IT'S AT THE FAR END OF THE COUNTY. SAME THING WITH I THINK MONACAN HAS SOME CAPACITY, SO I DON'T THINK ANYONE IS DISAGREEING THAT WE NEED TO TAKE A LOOK EVENTUALLY AT SOME POINT TO TO MAKE SOME MOVES ON PROGRAMS. BUT WE NEED TO HAVE THE SPACE FIRST.
AND I THINK THE SAME THING WITH THE MIDDLE SCHOOLS TOO.
WE NEED TO HAVE THE SPACE SO THAT WHEN A BOARD FINALLY DOES HAVE TO MAKE THE DECISION TO REDISTRICT OR MOVE THINGS AROUND, THAT IT ISN'T SOMETHING THAT WOULD HAVE TO TAKE PLACE EVERY OTHER YEAR IS MORE CAPACITY CAME OPEN AS NEW SCHOOLS CAME ONLINE.
MS. BAILEY. UM, YEAH, I ACTUALLY THINK THIS CONVERSATION IS ONE THAT WE NEED TO GO FORWARD WITH IN TERMS OF THE LOCATION OF THE NEW HIGH SCHOOL BECAUSE I ORIGINALLY IN THE DISCUSSIONS, IT WAS PART OF THE MAGNOLIA COMPLEX, WHICH WAS A REALLY COOL IDEA TO HAVE A
[00:35:05]
CAMPUS WITH AN ELEMENTARY MIDDLE AND A HIGH SCHOOL.BUT SINCE WE FOUND OUT THAT THIS LAND IS PART SWAMP AND CAN'T HAVE A HIGH SCHOOL ON ITS LOCATION, THAT SO THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO EXPLORE WHERE THIS NEW HIGH SCHOOL IS GOING TO GO AND WHAT PROPERTY WILL THEY, YOU KNOW, PROCURE FOR IT.
SO OBVIOUSLY THE MOST ADVANTAGEOUS POSITION FOR IT WOULD BE ONE THAT WOULD BE ALLOW A REDISTRICTING THAT WOULD BENEFIT MULTIPLE SCHOOLS.
BUT GIVEN THE FACT THAT WE'RE KIND OF DEPENDENT ON LAND AND THE COUNTY TO PURCHASE THAT AS TO WHERE THE HIGH SCHOOL GOES, WE KNOW THAT WE NEEDED IN THE WESTERN AREA.
BUT YOU KNOW, TO YOUR POINT, ONE THAT IS A LITTLE MORE CENTRALLY LOCATED CERTAINLY COULD BENEFIT SOME REDISTRICTING OUT OF MEADOWBROOK, WHICH IS EXTREMELY OVERCROWDED AND GETTING EVEN MORE SO.
AND MANCHESTER HIGH SCHOOL AS WELL.
SO GOOD POINTS ABOUT LOOKING CLOSELY AT WHERE THIS NEW HIGH SCHOOL IS GOING TO GO BECAUSE IT'S NO LONGER ASSUMED IT'S GOING ON THE MAGNOLIA LAND BECAUSE OF THE NOT SUITABLE FOR IT. MS. HEFFRON.
YEAH, AND I WONDER IF THIS WOULDN'T BE SOMETHING THAT WE COULD, YOU KNOW, IF WE COULD LOOK AT A COUPLE OF PROJECTIONS OF WHAT SORT OF RELIEF WOULD BE PROVIDED FOR THE SCHOOLS.
WHAT SORT OF CAPACITY WOULD BE PROVIDED FOR DIFFERENT SCENARIOS? YOU KNOW, DEPENDING ON WHERE WE PUT, WE'RE LIKE TO YOUR POINT WHERE IT ENDS UP.
BUT YEAH, WHAT DIFFERENT SCENARIOS IF WE YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW IF THE BOARD IT'S OK WITH ASKING FOR MS. ALLEN'S TEAM TO MAYBE LOOK AT DIFFERENT.
WHAT IS THE IDEAL RIGHT OR JUST WHAT? JUST DIFFERENT SCENARIOS.
WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE IF IT WAS LOCATED HERE AND, YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH THE COUNTY TO SEE IF THERE ARE ANY AVAILABLE SPACES? I KNOW THAT MS. ALLEN'S TEAM HAS DABBLED WITH A POSSIBLE FUTURE HIGH SCHOOL SCENARIOS, SO THEY COULD CERTAINLY BE READY TO DO THAT IN SOME IN THE NEAR FUTURE, GIVEN THERE ARE OPTIONS, PERHAPS.
IT'S GENERALLY THE COUNTY FINDS THE LAND FOR US, BUT WE'D BE HAPPY AND WE'D PROBABLY NEED TO ENGAGE WITH THEM NOW.
I HAVE RECEIVED ONE OTHER SUGGESTED LOCATION TO THE WEST OF MAGNOLIA GREEN, BUT THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY THE SPOT.
BUT I THINK THE BIG CHALLENGE COMES FROM WHAT LAND IS AVAILABLE, BECAUSE DR.
DAUGHERTY, IF YOU COULD REMIND ME, HOW MANY ACRES DID YOU SAY WE WOULD NEED FOR HIGH SCHOOL? THAT'S THE REQUEST WITH 80 ACRES, IT'S 40 FOR MIDDLE AND 80 FOR [INAUDIBLE] AND TO GO BACK TO JUST A REMINDER IS THAT ONCE YOU WE BUILD EXAMPLE OF THE NEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL OR THE MIDDLE SCHOOL, WE HAVE TO REDISTRICT THE ENTIRE DISTRICT.
THAT'S WHY WE [INAUDIBLE]. WE BUILD THE HIGH SCHOOL WE HAVE TO DO THE SAME.
WE'VE SPOKEN WITH THE COUNTY ALREADY ON AVAILABLE LAND.
AND WE DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S ANY LAND CENTRAL TO DEAL WITH THAT.
SO WHEN YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT REDISTRICTING, YOU CAN TALK ABOUT THE R-WORD ALL YOU WANT, BUT WE HAVE TO HAVE PLACES TO PUT THEM.
AND THERE'S NO ROOM AT THE END RIGHT NOW.
SO WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE BUILDING OF OPPORTUNITIES, I THINK THIS IS A GREAT CONVERSATION AND CHAIR VICE CHAIR.
I THINK IT'S A GREAT CONVERSATION IN LIAISON THAT WE HAVE TO START TALKING ABOUT THE REAL ISSUES NOW BECAUSE EVERYONE AGREES.
FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE THAT WE ARE GROWING STUDENTS.
WE HAVE WE HAVE MORE STUDENTS IN THAN PREDICTED AND I'M A FIRM BELIEVER THAT WE WILL BE AT 65000 SOMETIME NEXT YEAR AND WE'RE GOING.
AND AS FAST AS THEY'RE BUILDING, WE CANNOT KEEP UP WITH THE GROWTH THAT'S OCCURRING BECAUSE YOU CAN LEAVE HERE TONIGHT AND YOU WILL PASS A NEW DEVELOPMENT.
IT'S A MAJOR PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE.
AND THE WAY WE SOLVE THIS IS BY WORKING WITH THE COUNTY TO COME UP WITH A PLAN.
I BELIEVE EVERYTHING ON THE CIP AND EVEN THE REQUEST THAT YOU MADE MR. HARTER IS NEEDED RIGHT NOW, NOT IN 2027 OR 2026.
IT'S NEEDED RIGHT NOW AND WE'RE GOING TO START TO FEEL IT NEXT YEAR AND WE WILL BE PUTTING MEGA TRAILERS UP IN A LOT OF OUR SCHOOLS UNTIL WE GET THROUGH THIS.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE GOING TO EVER GET THROUGH THAT BECAUSE AS SOON AS WE BUILD THE
[00:40:03]
SCHOOLS THAT WE HAVE HERE, OTHER SCHOOLS WILL BE NEEDED.AND IT'S GREAT THAT PEOPLE WANT TO LIVE HERE, BUT THEY ALSO EXPECT US TO HAVE QUALITY SCHOOLS AND WE NEED TO SIT DOWN WITH THE COUNTY AND SAY, OKAY, WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? WE NEED ALL THESE SCHOOLS RIGHT NOW.
THAT MADE ME THINK OF BECAUSE I JUST SAW A PRESENTATION THAT UVA GAVE TO THE STATE SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO UNDERSTAND THIS AND IT'S INTERESTING, I THINK THERE'S THIS MYTH OUT THERE THAT COUNTIES ARE LOSING K-12 POPULATION AND IT'S ACTUALLY TRUE. CHESTERFIELD IS ONE OF THE ONLY COUNTIES THAT IS EXPERIENCING SIGNIFICANT GROWTH.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE MAP, IT'S JUST IT'S LIKE, THAT'S WHERE THE MYTH COMES FROM, BECAUSE MOST OF THE STATE IS, YOU KNOW, LOSING K-12 POPULATION.
BUT IN THE PAST 10 YEARS, THEY DID LIKE THE GRAPH WE EXPERIENCED BETWEEN FIVE AND 10 PERCENT GROWTH, AND THAT WAS UP TO 2019.
SO IMAGINE WHAT THE DATA IS GOING TO BE AFTER 2019.
IF WE EXPERIENCE FIVE TO 10 PERCENT FROM 2010 TO 2019, IT JUST HELPS PUT IT.
LIKE, THERE IT IS. THANK [INAUDIBLE].
DR. [INAUDIBLE] BACK TO THE DISCUSSION OF THE LOCATION FOR THE NEW HIGH SCHOOL.
OBVIOUSLY, YOU'RE WORKING WITH THE COUNTY PEOPLE ON IDENTIFYING THAT LAND, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT CENTRALLY IT'S PROBABLY MORE EXPENSIVE AND NOT 80 ACRES AVAILABLE, BUT TO THE GREATEST EXTENT POSSIBLE, I WOULD THINK IMPRESSING UPON THEM THAT THE FURTHER WEST THEY GO OUT WITH THIS HIGH SCHOOL, YOU DON'T WANT TO CREATE THE SITUATION, WHICH WE HAVE WITH MATOACA HIGH SCHOOL, WHERE WE LITERALLY DO HAVE SOME EMPTY SEATS OVER THERE.
BUT IN THE VERY NEXT BREATH IS OH, BUT IT'S SO FAR IN SOUTHERN CHESTERFIELD.
KIDS WOULD BE ON BUSSES FOREVER.
SO IF YOU GET REALLY FAR OUT WEST WITH A NEW HIGH SCHOOL, YOU'RE ALMOST CREATING A SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCE, EVEN THOUGH THE THE DEVELOPMENT IS GOING ON OUT THERE.
BUT IN TERMS OF REDISTRICTING, IT'LL BE LIMITING WHO WE CAN SHIFT AND HOW FAR HOW LONG WILL THEY BE ON BUSSES TO.
SO OBVIOUSLY THERE'LL BE MULTIPLE SHIFTS GOING ON.
BUT I THINK THE GREATEST ADVANTAGE FROM A FISCAL POINT OF VIEW, AS FAR AS BEING ABLE TO NOT HAVE TO BUILD ANOTHER NEW HIGH SCHOOL IN JUST ANOTHER FOUR TO FIVE YEARS WOULD BE TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A HIGH SCHOOL THAT WAS MORE CENTRALLY LOCATED TO BENEFIT RELIEF TO THE GREATEST AMOUNT OF SCHOOLS.
JUST IMPRESSING THAT UPON THE LOCATION, YOU KNOW, THEY SAY IT'S LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION, PICK THE RIGHT SPOT.
WELL, THE LAND THAT WAS ORIGINALLY SUGGESTED, THE COUNTY HAD TAKEN THE LEAD ON THAT.
I KNOW MS. ALLEN HAS HER TEAM HAVE WORKED ON DIFFERENT SCENARIOS ON WHERE DIFFERENT SCHOOLS COULD BE BE LOCATED AND THAT OPPORTUNITY AS WELL.
SO LIKE I SAID, I THINK IT'S A GREAT DISCUSSION WITH THE COUNTY TO FINALIZE THE CIP AND WHERE THINGS ARE GOING TO GO. I THINK WE CAN FINALIZE THE CIP WITHOUT KNOWING THE LAND SPACE THAT WE'RE USING, AND THE BOND REFERENDUM DEFINITELY NEEDS TO PASS.
WE'RE GOING TO SEE THE EFFECTS FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS RIGHT NOW OF NOT REALLY MOVING FORWARD ON THIS. I'M JUST THINKING OFF THE CUFF, IF WE'RE KIND OF SHIFTING TO AT LEAST CONSIDERING A MORE CENTRAL LOCATION, NOT THAT IT'S NOT POSSIBLE, BUT I KNOW THAT THERE'S A LOT OF NEW DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR THE PROVIDENCE MIDDLE SCHOOL AREA, AND I THINK THEY WOULD GO TO MANCHESTER.
SO I'M THINKING OF THE UPCOMING DEVELOPMENT AND THE PRESSURE THAT THAT'S GOING TO PUT ON MANCHESTER HIGH SCHOOL AND ALSO CURRENTLY PEOPLE IN THE DALE DISTRICT GO ALL THE WAY TO JAMES RIVER. AND IF THERE WASN'T A MORE CENTRAL RATE LIKE THAT, IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CRAZY, JAMES RIVER AND MATOACA ARE THE GUILTY ONES FOR BEING MAYBE A LITTLE BIT TOO MUCH ON THE EDGES. SO IT REALLY DOES PUT A STRAIN.
I THINK WE HAVE GREAT TOPICS FOR LIAISON AND UPCOMING CHAIR, VICE CHAIR AS WE CONTINUE TO FIGURE OUT THIS GOOD LOCATION.
JUST FOR YOUR INFORMATION, FOR THE BOARD INFORMATION.
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT MIDDLE SCHOOLS 11 OR 12 MIDDLE SCHOOLS OR AT 88 PERCENT OR HIGHER CAPACITY, RULE OF THUMB IS ONCE YOU GET TO 80, YOU NEED TO START CONSIDERING A BUILD MOVE. THAT'S A STANDARD PROCEDURE FOR CHURCHES AND SCHOOLS THAT'S GOT THEIR RESEARCH CHURCHES AND SCHOOLS. YOU GET THE 80 PERCENT YOU GOT TO LOOK AT DOING SOMETHING.
[00:45:02]
AND SO WE ARE LOOKING AT SOME OF THE OVERCROWDING RIGHT NOW TO, YOU KNOW, TO MOVE SOME PERCENTAGES OF STUDENTS.BUT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL, IT'S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE.
AND YOU KNOW, LIKE I SAID, WE THIS IS A MAJOR ISSUE AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO RESOLVE IT IN THE NEAR FUTURE BY ADDING THE MEGA TRAILERS.
BUT THERE IS GROWTH EVERYWHERE, AND PROVIDENCE IS AS AT THAT PLACE, SO AS MANCHESTER.
AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO KEEP THE BOARD INFORMED AND BUT WE ARE GROWING AT A VERY RAPID RATE RIGHT NOW. AGREED.
SO AS WE LOOK AT THIS AND THIS, YOU KNOW, FOR THIS CIP AND FUTURE CIPS, I THINK GROWTH IN CAPACITY HAS TO BE THE NUMBER ONE AND THEN WE CAN LOOK AT OTHER OPPORTUNITIES FOR OTHER SCHOOLS AT THAT TIME.
GROWTH IS A GOOD THING, BUT WE GOT TO BE PREPARED FOR IT TOO.
ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, MR. DAVIS. BOARD MEMBERS, IS THERE ANY GENERAL DISCUSSION RELATED TO THE CHESTERFIELD VIRTUAL
[C. School Board Discussion]
SCHOOL? WE HAD THAT PRESENTATION AT LAST WEEK'S MEETING.[INAUDIBLE] BRUCE WAS COMING UP JUST TO SEE IF YOU HAD ANY QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE SCHOOL AND BECAUSE ON THE 8TH, WE'RE GOING TO PUT IT AS AN ACTION ITEM.
SO I DIDN'T WANT HIM TO PASS OUT THINKING HE'S GOING TO DO A FULL PRESENTATION.
HE WILL IF YOU WANT, BUT HE'S JUST HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS IF YOU WANT.
BUT AS DR. D SAID, JUST HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE OR ANY CLARIFICATION FROM THE PREVIOUS PRESENTATIONS.
HEFFRON. THANK YOU, MR. [INAUDIBLE]. SO THE I'M SORRY, DR.
[INAUDIBLE]. SO TODAY AT OUR AUDIT AND OUR SCHOOL BOARD AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING, A MEMBER OF THAT CITIZEN MEMBER OF THAT COMMITTEE BROUGHT UP A GOOD POINT THAT I THINK IS SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO CONSIDER.
HOW WILL THE VIRTUAL ACADEMY BE ABLE TO EQUITABLY PROVIDE RESOURCES FOR ALL STUDENTS WHO MAY NOT HAVE ACCESS TO LEARNING RESOURCES IN THEIR HOME, SPECIFICALLY MANIPULATIVES? ANY, ANY SORT OF ART SUPPLIES? I KNOW THAT WHEN WE WERE IN THE VIRTUAL MODEL, A LOT OF TEACHERS WERE ABLE TO PROVIDE KIND OF TO GO BAGS FOR THEIR STUDENTS FOR THINGS THAT WOULD BE NEEDED FOR SPECIFIC PROJECTS. AND YOU KNOW, AS WE WERE DISCUSSING THIS AND DISCUSSING THIS WITH THE MEMBER, THE COMMITTEE MEMBER, WE WERE KIND OF SPITBALLING THESE IDEAS OF LIKE, MAYBE THERE'S SOMETHING THAT'S A RESOURCE BOX THAT YOU CHECK OUT AT THE BEGINNING OF KINDERGARTEN AND IT HAS YOUR MANIPULATIVES IN IT AND THEN YOU CHECK IT BACK IN AT THE END OF THE YEAR.
AND THAT'S, YOU KNOW, A CLASSROOM SET OF THAT WE CAN KIND OF MOVE THROUGH JUST IN A WAY THAT WE CAN HELP SUPPORT STUDENTS THAT, YOU KNOW, REGARDLESS OF THEIR RESOURCES AT HOME.
ABSOLUTELY. AND WE HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS ALL THE TIME AS A FACULTY.
WE HAVE PROVIDED SOME MANIPULATIVES FOR CERTAIN GROUPS OF STUDENTS, NAMELY SOME OF OUR STUDENTS WHO RECEIVE SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES.
SOME OF OUR LOWER GRADES, OUR KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS HAVE RECEIVED MANIPULATIVE PACKS FOR THAT. WE'VE ALSO REALLY LOOKED INTO OTHER DIGITAL RESOURCES AND ARE THERE JUST LIKE IN A CLASSROOM, TEACHERS ARE VERY RESOURCEFUL.
SO WHEN WE'RE TEACHING MATH, DOES IT ALL HAVE TO BE FIXED CUBES OR CAN IT BE BUTTONS FROM MOM SEWING DRAWER OR STONES FROM OUT IN THE DRIVEWAY AND LOOKING AND CHALLENGING OURSELVES FOR THAT AS WELL.
CERTAINLY SOME OF THE MAPS THAT WE USE AND THE YOUNGER GRADES, SORTING MAPS AND ALL OF THAT WE CAN PROVIDE THAT RELATIVELY INEXPENSIVE AND WE DO THAT BY MAILING THEM OR BY SENDING THEM TO THEIR HOME SCHOOLS, WHO THEN HAS THEM IN THE MAIN OFFICE WHERE STUDENTS CAN PICK THEM UP. SO IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE ARE WE ARE DOING NOW, NOT ON A FULL SCALE FOR EVERY STUDENT, BUT WE'VE PRIORITIZED THE STUDENTS AND WHERE WE'RE PILOTING TO SEE WHAT WORKS. BUT IT ABSOLUTELY IS ON OUR MIND.
WE KNOW THAT CHILDREN NEED THINGS IN THEIR HANDS TO LEARN SOME THINGS.
ARE THEY? IS THAT A BUILT INTO THE BUDGET FOR THE CHESTERFIELD VIRTUAL SCHOOL, THAT SORT OF SUPPORT AND SCAFFOLD FOR THOSE RESOURCES? YES SO THE BUDGET THAT WAS PRESENTED ON A LIMITED BASIS, NOT FOR EVERY STUDENT TO HAV SAY WHAT YOU WOULD THINK OF IN THE CLASSROOM, WHERE EVERYONE HAS [INAUDIBLE] CUBES AND BARE COUNTERS AND CALCULATORS AND ALL OF THAT.
[00:50:03]
BUT WE HAVE LOOKED AT CALCULATORS, FOR INSTANCE, YOU KNOW,[INAUDIBLE].THERE'S A LOT OF CALCULATOR RESOURCES THAT ARE ALREADY AVAILABLE VIRTUALLY.
SO TRYING TO PRIORITIZE WHAT IS NEEDED AND WHAT IS NOT.
WE'VE DONE A LOT OF WORK ON THAT.
AND YES, THERE IS SOME INTO OUR WHAT WOULD BECOME OUR APPROPRIATED BUDGET FOR NEXT YEAR.
I WANT TO MAKE SURE I GET A THOROUGH ANSWER AND COVER ALL THE BASES AND YOU'VE BEEN GIVING ME GREAT. I APPRECIATE YOUR RESPONSE.
IS THERE? IS THERE ANY SORT OF PROCESS TO IDENTIFY STUDENTS WHO MAY NEED THOSE RESOURCES? I'M JUST THINKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, BARRIERS TO ACCESS, LIKE, HOW ARE WE IDENTIFYING STUDENTS WHO DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE ACCESS AT HOME AND WHO NEED THAT EXTRA SUPPORT FROM THE DIVISION, RIGHT? AND THAT COMES BACK TO THE TRIED AND TRUE METHOD THAT WE EVEN USE IN BRICK AND MORTAR SCHOOLS. WE RELY UPON TWO THINGS.
ONE IS OUR TEACHER RELATIONSHIPS AND KNOWING THEIR CHILDREN AND KNOWING THE PARENTS AND THEN OUR COUNSELING DEPARTMENT AS WELL AND BEING ABLE TO REACH OUT AND SUPPORT.
WE DO HAVE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD FAMILIES THAT HAVE NEEDED NOTEBOOKS OR PENCILS AND CRAYONS AND YOU KNOW, I KNOW I WAS LEADING A SCHOOL AT THE TIME WHEN WE WERE WHEN THERE WAS NOT A VIRTUAL ACADEMY AND OUR TEACHERS DID DRIVE OUT AND DROP THAT OFF.
NOT ALL OF THEM. NOT TO EVERY PART OF CHESTERFIELD.
BUT WE DO HAVE TEACHERS THAT ARE MAKING HOME VISITS AND STOPPING IN AND DROPPING OFF THINGS THAT ARE NEEDED.
ABSOLUTELY. MS. BAILEY. SHE ACTUALLY SPURRED SOME THOUGHTS IN MY MIND OR JUST QUESTIONS THAT POPPED UP.
UM, DO VIRTUAL STUDENTS QUALIFY FOR FREE LUNCH OR CAN THEY QUALIFY FOR FREE LUNCH? AND IF THEY DO, HOW DO THEY ACCESS THAT? THROUGH THE PICKUPS THAT THE SCHOOLS HAVE? AND I FREQUENTLY SEND THEM IN MY COMMUNICATIONS.
I KNOW THAT THEY GO OUT TO THE COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS, BUT I REITERATE THEM IN MY WEEKLY MESSAGES. WHEN THE SCHOOL PICK UPS ARE THEY, THEY DO HAVE ACCESS TO IT AND THEY ARE ABLE TO GO PICK UP AT THEIR HOME SCHOOLS OR THE SCHOOLS THAT ARE PROVIDING THE PICKUPS.
AND THAT'S GOING TO CONTINUE WITH OUR NEW VIRTUAL SCHOOL NEXT YEAR.
I HAVE NOT GOTTEN INTO WHAT SCHOOL PICKUPS GOING TO LOOK LIKE AT THE HOME SCHOOLS OR AT SCHOOLS. AS IT IS.
THEY WON'T HAVE A HOME SCHOOL ANYMORE.
THEY WOULD NOT, BUT THEY STILL WOULD HAVE A SCHOOL RESIDENCE.
SO THEY COULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR A FREE MEAL THROUGH THEIR SCHOOL RESIDENCE? I CAN GET BACK TO YOU ON FURTHER INFORMATION, BUT THAT WOULD BE THE HOPE THAT WE CONTINUE USING WHAT WE ARE CURRENTLY USING.
I JUST NEED TO LOOK INTO SOME MORE DETAILS ON WHAT THAT PROGRAM IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE GOING FORWARD, WHICH IS OUTSIDE OF MY PURVIEW.
YEAH, I WOULD THINK SOME FAMILIES BEFORE THEY REGISTERED THEIR CHILDREN FOR VIRTUAL SCHOOL MIGHT ASK THAT QUESTION.
SO IT'D BE NICE IF WE HAD THAT ANSWER.
IF THEY'RE RELYING ON FREE LUNCH FOR THEIR CHILDREN, EVEN IN VIRTUAL, THEY MAY NEED TO KNOW THAT. AND THEN ALSO, YOU MAY NOT KNOW THIS MAYBE DR.
DAUGHERTY KNOWS THIS, THE FUNDING FOR VIRTUAL SCHOOL.
WOULD THEY QUALIFY FOR DIFFERENTIATED FUNDING IN TERMS OF HOW WE DIFFERENTIATE MORE FUNDING FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES AND STUDENTS THAT ARE ESL? WOULD THEY BE ELIGIBLE FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDS TO PAY FOR THESE MANIPULATIVES AND THINGS THAT THEY MAY QUALIFY FOR? WELL, THERE'S TWO THINGS I HAVE TO RESPOND TO YOU.
ONE. FREE REDUCED LUNCH OR FREE LUNCH? SO I JUST RESPONDED TO A DISCUSSION TODAY ABOUT LEGISLATION THAT'S GOING TO BE INTRODUCED THIS WEEK TO ALLOW THE U.S.
SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE TO EXTEND THE LUNCH PROGRAM AFTER THIS YEAR, THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR. SO RIGHT NOW, IT ENDS JUNE 30TH OF THIS YEAR 2022.
THEY'VE ASKED TO MOVE THAT ONE MORE YEAR.
SO IF THAT'S THE CASE, THAT LUNCH [INAUDIBLE], IT GOES BACK TO FREE REDUCED LUNCH.
IT'S REALLY NO LONGER REDUCED.
IT'S JUST, YOU KNOW, FREE LUNCH PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS WHO QUALIFY.
THE SECOND PIECE IS THE REASON WE DISCUSSED THIS TODAY A LITTLE BIT IN THE [INAUDIBLE].
THE REASON TO MOVE THE SCHOOL INTO A VIRGINIA SCHOOL OUT OF THE PROGRAM AREA WAS TO ALLOW FOR FUNDING TO OCCUR WITH [INAUDIBLE], WHICH THEN FREED UP FUNDING FROM ESSER TO HELP THE FIRST SEVERAL YEARS WITH THE SCHOOL.
AND WITH THINGS THAT THEY NEED, SO THAT'S WHERE THAT PIECE IS COMING IN.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, DR.
[INAUDIBLE]. THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
[D. Middle School Construction: Falling Creek Middle and Upper Magnolia]
[00:55:01]
NEXT, WE HAVE A PRESENTATION ON THE MIDDLE SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION.GOOD AFTERNOON, MADAM CHAIRMAN, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, BRIEF UPDATE ON THE STATUS OF OUR DESIGN AND PLANNING EFFORTS FOR THE TWO NEW MIDDLE SCHOOLS, SO WE WILL START WITH THE 20 TYPE FLOORPLAN SHOWN HERE.
WE ARE LOOKING AT A THREE-STORY PROTOTYPE FOR THE NEW MIDDLE SCHOOLS WITH A DESIGN CAPACITY UP TO EIGHTEEN HUNDRED STUDENTS WITH A CAFETERIA UP TO SIX HUNDRED AND FIFTY AND AN AUDITORIUM WITH UP TO A ONE THOUSAND SEAT CAPACITY.
THE GYM, TWELVE HUNDRED SEATS WITH AN AUXILIARY GYM AND ONE HUNDRED AND FOUR CLASSROOMS FOR THE VARIOUS PROGRAM NEEDS STATED BY THE COUNTY.
GROSS SQUARE FOOTAGE IS ROUGHLY TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY THOUSAND SQUARE FEET.
ALL OF THIS BASED ESSENTIALLY ON THE PROTOTYPE THAT WAS RECENTLY COMPLETED FOR THE MANCHESTER MIDDLE SCHOOL PROJECT THAT IS A BIT OF A SMALLER CAPACITY MIDDLE SCHOOL.
SO THREE THREE LEVELS MEETS OUR PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS, VERY SIMILAR TO THE MANCHESTER MIDDLE SCHOOL MODEL MEDIA CENTER ON THE SECOND FLOOR.
WHAT WE'RE ABLE TO DO WITH THIS PROTOTYPE, HOWEVER, IS SEPARATE EACH FLOOR BY GRADE LEVEL. SO SIXTH ON THE FIRST, SEVENTH ON THE SECOND FLOOR, AND EIGHTH GRADE ON THE UPPER FLOOR WITH COMMON CLASSROOMS I.E.
RESOURCES KIND OF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE THREE WINGS.
SHOWN HERE ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, ALL SCIENCE LABS ON THE LONG CORRIDOR TO ALLOW FOR PLUMBING TO GO UP AND DOWN A BIT MORE EFFICIENT DESIGN.
SO THAT'S THE ESSENTIALS OF THE PROTOTYPE DESIGN.
VERY SIMILAR TO A PRIOR SCHOOL EFFORTS.
WE ALL ULTIMATELY TAKE THESE OUT NEXT WEEK.
WE HAVE AN OPEN HOUSE FOR THE FOLLOWING CREEK MIDDLE SCHOOL SITE, AND WE WILL ALLOW THE PUBLIC TO VIEW THESE FLOOR PLANS AND VOTE ON THE PREFERRED EXTERIOR CONFIGURATION.
SO SIMILAR TO THE MANCHESTER EFFORT, WE HAVE A TRADITIONAL, A TRANSITIONAL, AND A CONTEMPORARY OPTION ON VARIOUS COLORS AND SCHEMES.
I'M ONLY SHOWING YOU THREE HERE, BUT ESSENTIALLY, YOU KNOW, I'M GETTING THE PUBLIC SAY ON THE EXTERIOR ESTHETIC OF THE BUILDING AND NOTING THE THREE-STORY GRAPHIC DEPICTION ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THIS GRAPHIC.
SO AGAIN, THAT STARTS NEXT WEEK WITH THE FOLLOWING CREEK MIDDLE COMMUNITY AND LATER ON FOR THE [INAUDIBLE] COMMUNITY AS WELL.
THE NEWEST ACRONYM, WESTERN AREA MIDDLE SCHOOL, WAMS FOR SHORT.
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO GREW UP IN THE 80S LIKE ME, YOU MIGHT THINK OF A DIFFERENT WAM.
[INAUDIBLE]. SO THE GENERAL PROJECT LOCATION OF OUR NEW WESTERN AREA MIDDLE SCHOOL, SHOWN BY THE LARGE STAR HERE ON JUST TO THE WEST OF [INAUDIBLE] ROAD AND THE WESTERLY COMMUNITY HAS NOT CHANGED THE NORTH OF MOSELEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND A LITTLE BIT NORTHWEST OF COSBY HIGH SCHOOL. AGAIN, WHAT'S NOT SHOWN HERE IS TOMAHAWK CREEK MIDDLE SCHOOL, DIRECTLY TO THE NORTH AND SWIFT CREEK MIDDLE SCHOOL DIRECTLY TO THE EAST, WHICH WOULD PRESUMABLY BENEFIT FROM SO THAT'S THE GENERAL LOCATION OF THE SCHOOL.
THIS IS THE PROPERTY THAT WE'VE BEEN THAT HAS BEEN SELECTED BY THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY FOR THIS EFFORT.
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY THREE ACRES JUST TO THE WEST OF EXISTING WESTERLY PARKWAY SOON TO HAVE THE THE SORT OF TOP DOWN ROAD EXTENDED FROM WHAT'S EXISTING.
AS YOU CAN TELL GENERALLY FROM THIS AERIAL VIEW, WITH THE BLUE DEPICTIONS AND THE LIGHT BLUE DEPICTIONS, THIS AREA HAS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF DELINEATED WETLANDS.
WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF GETTING THOSE AFFIRMED BY THE U.S.
ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS, BUT THERE'S A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF BLUE SHOWN ON HERE AND LIGHT BLUE OVER. ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF THIS GRAPHIC, WHICH IS DEPICTED AS A RESOURCE PROTECTION AREA, ALSO A PROTECTED ZONE FROM FURTHER DEVELOPMENT WITHOUT LARGE PERMITTING EFFORT. THE WE'LL CALL IT THE ZONING OF THE OF THE PARCEL KIND OF LOOKS LIKE THIS.
[01:00:02]
IT'S UNDERGONE ONE SIGNIFICANT CHANGE SINCE WE LAST PRESENTED TO THE BOARD SEVERAL WEEKS AGO. THE MIDDLE SCHOOL LOCATION HAS SHIFTED ON ACCOUNT OF THE HIGH SCHOOL BEING PULLED FROM THIS PROPERTY TO ANOTHER LOCATION, WHICH YOU'VE HAD SOME DISCUSSION ON.SO IN THAT CASE, THE MIDDLE SCHOOL WOULD THEN GO TO THE BOTTOM RIGHT ON THIS GRAPHIC, WHICH IS ACTUALLY THE NORTHEAST QUADRANT OF THE PROPERTY.
WE GENERALLY NEED 40 ACRES PLUS OR MINUS TO FULLY DEVELOP A MIDDLE SCHOOL SITE.
THIS IS SLIGHTLY LARGER GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF WETLAND IN THAT PORTION OF THE PROPERTY.
WE FORMERLY HAD THE MIDDLE SCHOOL DEPICTED IN THAT YELLOW AREA ON THIS GRAPHIC, WHICH WOULD PRESUMABLY NOW BE OUR NEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SITE WITH THE HIGH SCHOOL RELOCATION.
THAT SITE IS A BIT MORE WET, HAS SIGNIFICANTLY MORE TOPOGRAPHIC CHALLENGES, AND AS WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING THIS WITH OUR CONSULTANT TEAM.
FIRST OUT OF THE GATE, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GO TO THE ARMY CORE OF ENGINEERS, AND THEY'RE GOING TO ASK US A VERY SIMPLE QUESTION.
HAVE YOU PICKED THE HIGHEST AND BEST LOCATION FOR YOUR NEW SITE? AND THE ANSWER IS WITH THIS NEW LOCATION, THE ANSWER WILL BE YES.
THIS IS A BIT HIGHER AND DRIER THAN THE FORMER SITE, WHICH HAD BEEN RESERVED DUE TO THE OLD HIGH SCHOOL BEING HERE.
SO IT'S A BIT OF A GAME OF MUSICAL CHAIRS, BUT WE'RE ESSENTIALLY TRYING TO FIND THE BEST LOCATION FOR THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
WE'VE OVERSIZE, IT'S ABOUT FIFTY SIX ACRES FOR THE MIDDLE SCHOOL BECAUSE THERE'S A LARGE SWATH OF BLUE KIND OF CUTTING IN THERE.
BUT WE FEEL AT THE END OF THE DAY, THIS IS THE HIGHEST AND BEST USE OF THIS PROPERTY FOR THE MIDDLE SCHOOL LOCATION.
SO BUT THAT DOES LEAVE TO, I WANT TO POINT OUT ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF THE GRAPHIC, A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF PROPERTY IS LEFT OVER HERE, WHICH COULD BENEFIT THE COUNTY IN SOME OTHER WAY. IT'S NOT UP TO THE SCHOOLS TO DECIDE, BUT WE'RE LISTING IT AS A POTENTIAL PARK SITE, WHO KNOWS.
BUT THAT IS SOMETHING TO CONSIDER LONG TERM.
OK. OVER AT THE FOLLOWING CREEK MIDDLE LOCATION, NOTHING HAS CHANGED THERE IN TERMS OF THE BUILDING LOCATION.
WE'RE STILL PLANNING ON DEVELOPING THE CENTRAL PORTION OF THIS OVERALL PROPERTY BETWEEN THE EXISTING MIDDLE AND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
WHAT'S DRIVING THAT IS THE ENABLING LOCATION PRIMARILY FOR THE BENSLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PROJECT, WHICH IS UPCOMING IN THE NEXT REFERENDUM AND ALSO SOME SITE DISTURBANCE FACTORS.
WE'VE GOT A GOOD LOCATION BETWEEN THESE TWO SITES AND WE CAN UTILIZE THAT VERY EFFECTIVELY. THE PROTOTYPE AGAIN, IT'S STILL THREE STORY.
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO RECONFIGURE SOME OF THE COMPONENTS AND PIECES TO FIT THIS SITE.
SO SOME OF THE THE FRONT END COMPONENTS OF THE GYM, THE AUDITORIUM AND THE CAFETERIA WILL SHIFT AROUND JUST A LITTLE BIT SO WE CAN FIT UP ON THE SITE.
WE HAVE A VERY COOPERATIVE ARCHITECT WHO'S HELPING US THINK THAT THROUGH, AND WE'LL COME UP WITH A BONAFIDE FLOOR PLAN, WHICH AGAIN HAS THE SAME CAPACITY NUMBERS UP TO EIGHTEEN HUNDRED AS THE WESTERN AREA MIDDLE SCHOOL, ALL BASED ON THE PROTOTYPE DESIGN.
AGAIN, SECOND FLOOR, SEVENTH GRADE WITH COMMON AREA AND MEDIA CENTER 8TH GRADE UP ON THE THIRD FLOOR. AGAIN, WITH SOME COMMON SPACE.
OK. THIS IS A GENERALIZED GRAPHIC FOR THE BUILDOUT OF THE ENTIRE PROJECT.
THERE ARE SOME CHALLENGES LOGISTICALLY WITH THE FULL BUILDOUT GIVEN THE ENABLING FOR BENSLEY, BUT IT SHOWS THE THREE WINGS ON THE NORTH END OF THE PROPERTY.
THE FRONT DOOR FACING HOPKINS ROAD WITH ADEQUATE PARKING DROP OFF BUS PARKING FOR 30 BUSSES, EXCUSE ME, EXPANDED PROGRAM AND THE ULTIMATE TRACK AND ATHLETIC FACILITY BUILDOUT HAPPENING OVER TOP OF THE EXISTING MIDDLE SCHOOL SITE.
ONCE THAT SITE GETS DEMOLISHED AND BENSLEY OPENS UP SEVERAL YEARS DOWN THE ROAD.
THAT SAID, THIS IS A MULTIPHASE PROJECT WE'RE SHOWING FOR INDIVIDUALIZED IMAGES OF THE GENERALIZED PHASING HERE ON THIS GRAPHIC FOR THE FIRST FEW YEARS FALLING CREEK.
FORTUNATELY, WE'LL BE ABLE TO STAY IN THEIR EXISTING MIDDLE SCHOOL UNTIL THEIR NEW BUILDING IS FULLY DEVELOPED.
THAT'S OF GREAT BENEFIT TO THE EXISTING MIDDLE SCHOOL POPULATION AND ALLOWS US NOT TO HAVE TO BRING ADDITIONAL MEGA TRAILERS TO THE SITE.
SO THERE'S A DISPLACEMENT FACTOR THAT'S REALLY IN CCPS BENEFIT.
ONCE THE BUILDING IS OPEN FALLING CREEK VACATES THEIR PROPERTY, WE WILL CLIP OFF THEIR EXISTING CAFETERIA AND FOR BENALEY'S PURPOSES, WE'LL UTILIZE THEIR AUXILIARY GYM FOR A NEW CAFETERIA, UP FIT AND COOK IN THE NEW MIDDLE SCHOOL AND BRING THAT OVER TO BENSLEY.
[01:05:01]
THAT'S A MODEL WE USED AT BONNER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WHEN WE USED CRESTWOOD, WE HAD CRESTWOOD HOUSED IN TRAILERS ON THAT PROPERTY.BEYOND THAT, WE'LL PARTIALLY DEVELOP THE PICKUP, DROP OFF, AND BUS PARKING THAT'S SHOWN [INAUDIBLE] OVER THE COURSE OF BENTLEY'S TIME ON THE PROPERTY AND THEN ULTIMATELY, ONCE THE NEW BENSLEY OPENS UP, WE'LL BE ABLE TO FINISH OFF THE PARKING DROP OFF AND BUS LOOPS, DEMO THE EXISTING BUILDING AND BUILD OUT THE TRACK TENNIS COURTS AND BALL FIELD FACILITIES. SO THAT'S MULTI-STAGE PROCESS ENDING IN 2026, IDEALLY.
SO TALKING A BIT ABOUT SCHEDULE, WE HAD INITIALLY STARTED WITH THESE TWO MIDDLE SCHOOLS, IDEALLY HAVING THEM BOTH OPEN FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR BEGINNING IN AUGUST OF 2024, WITH THE SHIFT OF THE HIGH SCHOOL OFF OF THE WAM SITE.
WE'RE IN A STATE WHERE WE ACTUALLY HAVE TO DO SOME REDESIGN ON THAT PROPERTY, WHICH IS GOING TO FORCE THE WAMS PROJECT TO LAG SOMEWHAT, YOU KNOW, GIVEN ALL OF THE PERMITTING AND DESIGN THAT WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH.
BUT THAT DOESN'T IMPACT FALLING CREEK MIDDLE, WHICH I'LL ADDRESS FIRST.
WE'LL STILL ON TRACK THERE TO GET INTO SITE PLAN REVIEW AND GO THROUGH OUR NORMAL COURSE OF EVENTS TO OPEN THAT FACILITY IN THE SUMMER OF 2024.
THAT HASN'T CHANGED, BUT AGAIN, GIVEN THE THE LOCATION CHANGE AND SOME OF THE DESIGN WETLAND FACTORS OVER AT THE WAM SITE, WE ARE LOOKING TO HAVE THAT FACILITY ACTUALLY CONSTRUCTED SOMETIME LATE IN 2024 OR EARLY 2025, BUT WITH AN OPENING FOR AUGUST OF 2025 THAT ACADEMIC THE '25 '26 ACADEMIC YEAR.
SO THAT'S BEEN PUSHED JUST A LITTLE BIT, BUT THIS GRAPHIC DOES ACKNOWLEDGE THE PHASING THAT WILL CONTINUE OVER AT FALLING CREEK MIDDLE SCHOOL, WHICH WE JUST WENT OVER SO.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU, MR. CARSON BOARD MEMBERS.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION? I JUST HAVE A QUESTION, SO WITH THIS REDESIGN, THE WESTERN MIDDLE SCHOOL AREA, DO WE THINK IT'LL PUSH US A WHOLE YEAR? RIGHT. A PART OF THAT ANSWER IS IT HAS TO DO WITH THE REDISTRICTING, WHICH ISN'T REALLY MY [INAUDIBLE], BUT WITH THE BUILDING OPEN SOMETIME DURING THE ACADEMIC YEAR OF '24-25 I THINK THE GOAL WERE NOT TO MOVE AND REDISTRICT DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR.
HELLO AGAIN. SO A COUPLE OF THINGS.
ONE, WE WOULD NEVER REDISTRICT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE YEAR.
THAT'S VERY DISRUPTIVE AND STAFFING WISE, AND IT'S JUST AND THE THE MOVEMENT OF IT'S BETTER FOR THE COMMUNITY, FOR THE SCHOOL, THE BUILDING OF THE SCHOOL MAKE SURE WE CAN GET THE SITE APPROVED.
MOVING IT THERE, IT'S BENEFICIAL AND THEN MOVING THE ELEMENTARY TO THE OTHER LOCATION, GOING TO HELP US IN THAT AREA.
IF YOU NOTICE THE MOVING THE MIDDLE SCHOOL DOWN TO THAT LOWER SITE, LOWER LEFT HAND SITE, IT'S ACTUALLY CLOSER TO THE ROAD.
SO THE ROAD DEVELOPMENT CAN COME IN PIECES NOW INSTEAD OF FULLY EXTENDING ALL THE WAY THROUGH, WHICH HELPS THE COUNTY AS WELL.
AND THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT SCOTT SHARED WITH ME, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS A GREAT IDEA.
BUT THE THE AMOUNT OF PLANNING IT HAS TO OCCUR WITH THE LAND AND THE PERMITS AND EVERYONE NOW WHERE WE ARE IS PROBABLY WE WILL GET OUT IT OUT ON THE MARKET UNTIL THIS FALL.
AND SO IT WAS JUST SOMETHING WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH FOR AN EXTENDED YEAR.
THE OPPORTUNITY, I THINK FOR US IS AS WE GET TO THAT CLOSE POINT OF OPENING '25 THAT FALL '24 WILL BE IMPORTANT FOR US TO SHOW WHERE EVERYBODY'S GOING TO BE GOING.
MOVING ALL THE TIERS AROUND FOR THE BUSSING, WHICH WILL HELP AS WELL.
SO THOSE OPPORTUNITIES WILL OCCUR.
WE AND I SAID THESE TWO PROJECTS ARE GOING TO BE SET ASIDE FROM THE THE BOND.
SO THAT'S A GOOD THING AND WE'LL BE MOVING FORWARD WITH THAT.
BUT WE'D RATHER HAVE THE SITE WE COULD THEY COULD HAVE COME OUT.
SO WE'RE GOING TO LEAVE IT AT THE SITE.
BUT THAT SPACE WAS TIGHT AND WE WEREN'T SURE HOW LONG IT'S GOING TO TAKE TO GET IT READY TO GO HERE. [INAUDIBLE] THE GROUP AND THE COUNTY AND JOSH'S TEAM AND SCOTT'S TEAM CAN WORK ON THIS TO MAKE SURE IT'S APPROPRIATE.
THE OTHER THING IS, WHILE THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT THE MIDDLE SCHOOLS AS A FORMER MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL AND YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT YOU TRY TO KEEP YOUR GRADE LEVEL SEPARATED.
AND SO THE THREE LEVELS PEOPLE THINK WAS THREE LEVELS [INAUDIBLE] IT ACTUALLY GOING TO
[01:10:01]
GIVE THEM SPACE.BUT WE DO NOT WANT TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD SMALL HERE.
WE CAN SEE WHERE THAT HAPPENED IN OTHER BUILDINGS AND AS SOON AS THE BUILDINGS WERE UP, THERE WERE TRAILERS. AND WE HAVE THAT.
AND SO THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY.
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT'S A LARGE MIDDLE SCHOOL.
IT'S A LARGE MIDDLE SCHOOL OVERALL, BUT IT'S STILL THERE'S THREE SCHOOLS WITHIN THE SCHOOL NOW, AND WE HAVE THAT IN MIDDLE SCHOOLS NOW.
AND SO YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT, ARE THEY SPACED WELL, ARE THEY ADEQUATE TO THE MEET THE ACADEMIC NEEDS? DO WE MEET THE NEEDS OF THE AUDITORIUM, THE GYM OF THE THE CAFETERIA AND THEY DO, PLUS THE OPPORTUNITY TO SET THE FACILITIES UP FOR OUTSIDE AS WELL? AND THEN THE FINAL THING IS THE FALLING CREEK POINT WE WERE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT BECAUSE WE ACTUALLY SAVE QUITE A BIT OF MONEY.
THE TRAILERS THAT ARE NOW MEGAS WILL MOVE SOMEWHERE ELSE.
AND BUT BENSLEY CAN MOVE INTO FALLING CREEK FOR THE TWO YEAR PERIOD AND THEN BE READY TO MOVE OUT. AND WHEN THAT OCCURS, THE TEAM WILL MOVE SWIFTLY TO PREPARE THE ATHLETIC SITE FOR THE SCHOOL SETTING.
SO I THINK THEY'VE REALLY DEVELOPED A STRONG PLAN MOVING FORWARD WITH TWO PROJECTS HOW IT'S GOING TO AFFECT MULTIPLE SCHOOLS.
MS. BAILEY. WELL, I'M CERTAINLY EXCITED ABOUT THE FALLING CREEK REBUILD, AND I KNOW THAT EVERYONE IN MY COMMUNITY CERTAINLY IS EXCITED ABOUT THIS AND REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO IT, SO I'M GRATEFUL THAT IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE PUSHED BACK AT ALL.
AND I APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT BENSLEY WILL BE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE BUILDING.
I WILL SAY I'M DISAPPOINTED THAT THE TRACK HAS TO WAIT UNTIL BENSLEY IS REBUILT BEFORE THE TRACK, AND THE COMPLEX CAN BE TOTALLY COMPLETED FOR THE STUDENTS AT FALLING CREEK.
BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT THAT IS THAT'S A PRUDENT THING TO DO.
IT'S ABOUT THE BUILDING AND THIS.
MAYBE, MAYBE I SHOULD SAVE THIS FOR WHEN WE HAVE OUR OPEN HOUSE BECAUSE IT'S MORE LOGISTICAL ABOUT LIKE THE SPACE AND THE DESIGN AND STORAGE.
I'VE HAD COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO HAVE SEEN THIS AND THEY'VE EMAILED AND SAID, WHERE'S THEATER GOING TO STORE THEIR EQUIPMENT? I THINK MAYBE Y'ALL HEARD SOME OF THIS AS WELL, AND THERE'S JUST DIFFERENT QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS DESIGN.
IS THIS DESIGN SET IN STONE OR IS THERE ANY? I DON'T MEAN THE DESIGN OVERALL, BUT JUST THE NITTY GRITTY DETAILS OF THIS SPACE.
IS THIS FINAL? RIGHT. THERE IS OPPORTUNITY TO DO SOME MINOR FIT UP OF THE PROTOTYPE, AND WE WANT TO BE SENSITIVE TO SOME OF THOSE SITE SPECIFIC NEEDS.
BUT ON THE FLIP SIDE, THE OTHER BENEFIT OF USING THE PROTOTYPE IS IT'S EASILY REPLICATED AND, YOU KNOW, BUT UM, IT'S A MINOR SET UP ON THE INSIDE.
I DON'T THINK THIS IS A BIG DEAL.
SO WHEN A COMMUNITY MEMBER ASKED ME IF THIS THEY CAN MAYBE EXPRESS SOME SMALL LITTLE ADJUSTMENTS OR THOUGHTS OR TEACHERS CAN, BUT THEY'RE REALLY THIS PROTOTYPE IS PRETTY MUCH THE PROTOTYPE WE'RE GOING TO BE GOING WITH.
YEAH, UNLESS YOU WANT TO ADD SOMETHING.
I'LL JUST ADD A LITTLE MORE INFORMATION.
WHEN YOU AND I HAD THAT CONVERSATION, THE DESIGN THAT WE WERE SHOWING SHOWED THE MUSIC AND SO FORTH AT THE OPPOSITE END OF THE BUILDING AND THE AUDITORIUM.
SO I THINK IT'S PROBABLY FAIRLY SAFE TO SAY IN THAT WHOLE CORRIDOR THERE, IT'S GOING TO BE A BAND ROOM, A CHORUS ROOM, A MUSIC ROOM, AN ARTS ROOM AND STORAGE ASSOCIATED.
A BAND HAS TO STORE THEIR DRUMS AND BIG INSTRUMENTS AND LOVE THAT STUFF, BUT I'M SURE THEY'LL WORK IT OUT. SO I THINK WE'VE MADE PROGRESS FROM THAT INITIAL CONVERSATION, THOUGH, AND WE'RE ALWAYS INTERESTED IN MORE.
SO THAT'S WHY I JUST THOUGHT IF THERE'S ANY SO YOU'VE MADE THAT TWEAK, AND THAT'S GREAT, BUT JUST ANY OTHER COMMUNITY MEMBER COME THE OPEN HOUSE HAS SOMETHING SIMILAR ALONG THOSE LINES. IT WOULD. IT'S JUST NICE TO KNOW THAT THAT KIND OF TWEAK THAT YOU MADE IS GOING TO MAKE THOSE PEOPLE THAT WERE CONCERNED ABOUT IT VERY HAPPY.
THANK YOU. MS. HAINES. SO I CAN'T HELP BUT THINK THAT IF OUR [INAUDIBLE] COMMITTEE WAS HERE, THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT WE ARE DOING TO THINK MORE GREEN GOING FORWARD.
AND ALSO, I THINK WE DON'T GIVE OURSELVES ENOUGH PATS ON THE BACK FOR ALL OF OUR HVAC WORK. SO MAYBE ALSO MENTIONING, YOU KNOW, THE STEP UP THAT WE'RE DOING IN TERMS OF INDOOR AIR QUALITY IN OUR NEW SCHOOLS.
I'M GLAD YOU BROUGHT THAT UP BECAUSE I THINK I DREW A BLANK FROM OUR CONVERSATION THE OTHER DAY. BUT YEAH, WE'RE BUILDING TO CODE AND THE CODE HAS MADE SIGNIFICANT ADVANCEMENTS IN THE LAST, YOU KNOW, EVEN THE LAST FEW YEARS.
SO, YOU KNOW, THINGS LIKE OCCUPANCY SENSORS, LOW FLOW TOILETS, HIGH EFFICIENCY HVAC
[01:15:07]
SYSTEMS, ADVANCED FILTRATION, UV LIGHTING, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THOSE ADVANCEMENTS THAT SIMPLY WEREN'T AVAILABLE FOR THE MOST PART OR WE WEREN'T BUILDING THEM 10 TO 15 YEARS AGO ARE ALL BAKED INTO THE PROTOTYPE.SO, YOU KNOW, AND YOU KNOW, BEING MINDFUL OF TWO OF THE GOVERNOR'S DIRECTIVE, WE'RE MARSHALING ALL RESOURCES THAT WE CAN TO IMPROVE IQ, AND THIS IS NO DIFFERENT.
SO THANKS FOR BRINGING THAT UP BECAUSE I JUST DREW A BLANK.
I HAVE A QUESTION, AND THIS MAY BE AN OBVIOUS QUESTION, BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE THINK OF A THREE STORY SCHOOL, WHEN I THINK OF A THREE STORY SCHOOL, I FIRST IT COMES TO MY MIND, IS ACCESSIBILITY.
CAN YOU GO INTO A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW WE ARE ENSURING THAT THE ENTIRE BUILDING IS ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE WHO COMES IN? ABSOLUTELY. YOU KNOW, STAFF, STUDENTS AND GUESTS.
SO AGAIN, MEETING THE CODE ADA IS BAKED INTO THE CODE.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO ADHERE TO ALL OF THOSE REQUIREMENTS.
AND IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT LINEARITY OF SURFACE OR TEXTURE OF SURFACE, SO YOU'RE MAKING SURE THERE'S RAMPS AND HANDRAILS FOR THAT MATTER.
WE DO HAVE AN ELEVATOR IN THE BUILDING, WHICH IS SOMEWHAT CENTRALLY LOCATED, YOU KNOW, IN THE CORE OF THE ACADEMIC WING, BUT ALSO OUR FIRE STROBES, YOU KNOW, OUR LIGHTING LEVELS, ALSO OUR SIGNAGE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO HAVE BRAILLE ON OUR SIGNAGE.
SO YOU KNOW, ANYBODY WHO HAS A DEFINED DISABILITY OR A CHALLENGE.
YEAH. AND THE CODE REQUIRED IMPROVEMENTS OR ADDITIONS THAT ARE REQUIRED TO ACCOMMODATE THEM. CERTAINLY, WE'RE GOING TO MEET.
I JUST HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS.
SO ONE VERY THANKFUL THAT, YOU KNOW, OUR KIDS AND FALLING CREEK AND THEN BENSLEY WILL BE ABLE TO STAY IN A BUILDING, YOU KNOW, WHILE WE'RE DOING THE CONSTRUCTION.
SO I THINK ANY TIME WE CAN STAY INSIDE A BUILDING IS WORTHWHILE FOR FALLING CREEK KIDDOS WHILE THEY'RE, WHILE BENSLEY IS IN THEIR OLD BUILDING.
WHERE WILL THEY BE ABLE TO USE THE TRACK FACILITIES AND BASEBALL FIELDS DURING THAT TIME? RIGHT. AS I UNDERSTAND IT RIGHT NOW, HAVING SPOKEN WITH THE PRINCIPAL THAT THEY DO UTILIZE THE MEADOWBROOK TRACK AS I UNDERSTAND IT, BUT WE HAVE HAD SOME CONVERSATIONS WITH PRINCIPAL TAZEWELL ABOUT HOW TO ACCOMMODATE, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT OTHER LOCAL RESOURCES, BE THEY AGAIN STILL AT MEADOWBROOK OR EVEN THE NEW BENSLEY COMMUNITY CENTER, THERE MIGHT BE SOME OPEN SPACE AVAILABLE THERE, YOU KNOW, AS WELL AS SOME OTHER SITES.
SHE EVEN MENTIONED GOLD'S GYM.
I THINK THAT'S RIGHT DOWN THE ROAD.
I'LL JUST ALSO SHARE THAT THERE'S AN ATHLETIC FIELD BEHIND FALLING CREEK ELEMENTARY THAT'S REALLY NOT GOTTEN MUCH USE IN RECENT YEARS.
IT LOOKS LIKE IT MAY HAVE BEEN A COMBINED TWO SOFTBALL DIAMONDS OR, YOU KNOW, A BASEBALL FIELD FOR SMALLER CHILDREN PLUS.
SO I THINK THAT COULD IN FACT BE IMPROVED TO BE ACCESSIBLE FOR ALL OF THOSE SCHOOL COMMUNITIES AT THE TIME, LESS THAN IDEAL.
ONE OF THE THINGS WHERE BUS TRANSPORTATION HAS BEEN A SHORTFALL HAS BEEN TO GO TO THESE ALTERNATE SITES AND AGAIN, WITH THE DRIVERS THAT WE'VE HIRED WERE GOING TO BE IN A FAR BETTER POSITION TO TO SERVE SCHOOLS THAT HAVE TO USE ALTERNATE FACILITIES, HOPEFULLY FOR A VERY TEMPORARY PERIOD OF TIME.
FRYE WILL BE READY TO SUPPORT THOSE FOLKS AS LONG AS HIS STAFFING LEVEL STAYS UP.
AND. HATE TO END WITH THE LAST QUESTION ON THE R WORD, BUT WHEN WOULD REDISTRICTING BE BROUGHT TO US FOR FALLING CREEK? I'VE NEVER. I KNOW I'M SORRY.
I HAVE NEVER SEEN THEM MOVE THAT FAST.
OUR PLAN IS TO LOOK AT THE FALL BEFORE THE OPENING OF THE SCHOOL AT ANY TIME WE REDISTRICT.
SO THE EXAMPLE I'LL GIVE YOU WHEN THE NEW 360 WEST MIDDLE SCHOOL IS OPEN IN THE AUGUST OF '25, WE WOULD COME TO YOU EARLY IN SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER OF '24.
TO SHARE THE PLAN, MEET WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS SAY HERE'S A REDISTRICTING FOR NOT ONLY THE NEW MIDDLE SCHOOL, BUT ALL OF OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS.
NOW WE HAVE TO DO, IT HASN'T BEEN DONE IN A LONG TIME AND WE NEED TO LOOK AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL PROCESS WHEN THE HIGH SCHOOL WAS BUILT.
WE WOULD DO THE SAME THING THE FALL TIME SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER FOR JUST ABOUT A YEAR BEFORE WE WOULD DO THE SAME THING WITH THE HIGH SCHOOL SETTING AS WELL.
[01:20:01]
THE MIDDLE SCHOOL WAS A LITTLE DIFFERENT BECAUSE IT WILL BE BASICALLY SECTIONED OUT BECAUSE OF HOW EVERYTHING IS GOING TO SET UP, BECAUSE IT'S ALWAYS A SMALLER WINDOW OF TIME AND WE DO HAVE TO DO SOME REDISTRICTING WHEN YOU BUILD NEW SCHOOLS ANYWAY.JUST EXAMPLE WAS MOSELEY, BUT THERE IS A, LIKE I SAID, A LOT OF BUILDING GOING ON IN THOSE AREAS AS WELL. SO WE'LL LOOK AT THAT.
BUT IT'S ALWAYS TO GIVE EVERYBODY PLENTY OF TIME TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THAT BECAUSE WE HAVE A TARGET DATE OPEN.
CAN I ASSUME THEN BECAUSE FALLING CREEK IS A REBUILD THAT THERE IS NO REDISTRICTING THAT'S GOING TO GO ON WITH THE FALLING CREEK? I WOULD NOT ASSUME THAT.
[LAUGHTER] OK. I MEAN, WE HAVE TO LOOK AT ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS.
SO THEN THAT'S THE FALL OF 2023.
IT'S OPENING UP IN THE SUMMER AND REMEMBER, THE GUIDELINES ARE [INAUDIBLE] THAN 15 PERCENT.
SO THERE COULD BE A MOVEMENT OF SOME OPERATIONAL ISSUES TO HELP THE OVERCROWDING, WHICH WE HAVE IN SOME OF OUR SCHOOLS THAT MAY OCCUR THAT WE MAY COME SOONER THAN LATER ABOUT.
BUT, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO GIVE EVERYBODY PLENTY OF TIME TO DEAL WITH THOSE ISSUES.
ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THANK YOU, MR. CARSON. THANK YOU.
[F. Announcements, Communications, and School Board Comments]
SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS, ARE THERE ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS OR COMMENTS? MS. HAINES. YOU WANT TO REMIND US WHAT TOWN HALLS ARE TOMORROW? I KNOW THERE'S A MIDLOTHIAN TOWN HALL TOMORROW AT ROBIOUS.DOES ANYBODY ELSE HAVE A TOWN HALL? I HAVE A TOWN HALL TOMORROW.
WE HAVE A MIDLOTHIAN AND CLOVER HILL.
I'LL BE AT CLOVER HILL HIGH SCHOOL 6:30 AND 6:30 AT ROBIUS MIDDLE.
GOOD. AND THEN I THINK WE HAVE TWO ON FEBRUARY 7TH AS WELL.
ALL RIGHT. IT WOULD TAKE PLACE AT COSBY HIGH SCHOOL.
[INAUDIBLE]. I'D SAY IT'S MORE OF A COUNTYWIDE TOWN HALL, BUT FOR SPANISH SPEAKING FAMILIES, CHALKELY ALSO 6:30.
THE NEXT SCHOOL BOARD BUDGET WORK SESSION WILL BE HELD TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2022 AT 3:30 P.M. HERE IN THE PUBLIC COUNTY PUBLIC MEETING ROOM.
IT WILL BE FOLLOWED BY A BUSINESS MEETING AT 6:30.
PUBLIC HEARINGS FOR THE SUPERINTENDENTS PROPOSED BUDGET AND CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN WILL BE HELD AT THE START OF THE BUSINESS MEETING.
IF THERE'S NO FURTHER BUSINESS, WE NEED A MOTION TO ADJOURN.
MADAM DEPUTY CLERK, WOULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL ON THE MOTION? DEBBIE BAILEY.
AYE. THE MOTION CARRIES THE FEBRUARY 1ST, 2022 SCHOOL BOARD BUDGET WORK SESSION IS ADJOURNED.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.