Committee OKs blueprint for elementary schools

A blueprint for the county's future elementary schools has received the nod of a School Board committee.

Pending approval by the School Board, the 1998 prototype will be used for three schools set to open in 2001 and eight schools opening in 2002.

One of the sites will be located at Tee Pee Lane and Gilmore Avenue. Other locations are still being firmed up.

The 62,000-square-foot prototype features 43 classrooms and several other rooms, Jessica Perkins, coordinator for facilities planning, said. Additionally, the design has a great room -- a large room surrounded by eight classrooms -- along with a multipurpose room and a library.

"We're building the schools for 660 students, but we realize it might be a little over that," Perkins said. "We're making accommodations for portable classrooms, just in case."

Additional improvements over the previous prototypes include the addition of one kindergarten room and one special education room.

"These were not included in the '94 and '96 prototypes," said Perkins.

Although the entire district is rapidly growing, the brunt of it is happening in the elementary grades, Perkins said.

Kay Carl, assistant superintendent for elementary education, said the new design meets the state Legislature's smaller classroom requirement.

"In first and second grade, we will put one teacher and 16 students in one classsroom," Perkins said. "The class-size reduction in the third grade means there will be 19 students in a classroom with one teacher."

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