Residents to vote on
construction of school
Published Saturday, April 26
By Jebb Johnston
Staff Writer

Corinth residents will vote May 20 on a $12.8 million general obligation bond issue for a school reorganization plan that includes construction of a new Corinth Elementary School.

The plan includes closing the East Corinth, West Corinth and South Corinth campuses.

The Corinth School District Board of Trustees passed a resolution Friday morning calling for a special election on the bond issue. A 60 percent vote in favor is required for the bond issue to pass.

Voters who live within the Corinth School District will cast ballots between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. at City Hall on May 20.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, the district says the $17 million plan, which also includes facility upgrades at the high school and junior high campuses, can be financed without a tax increase by shifting the ad valorem taxes from operational to a special fund to pay for the bonds.

The district is in final negotiations on a 42-acre site with frontage on Droke Road and South Harper Road and located north and west of The Dinner Bell restaurant. The new Corinth Elementary School would face Droke Road.

"It is a very nice piece of property that lends itself to an elementary school and will be very visible to the community and centrally located," said Superintendent Lee Childress.

It is anticipated the city will consider some road improvements on Droke to accommodate the increase in traffic.

The reorganization plan calls for the new Corinth Elementary to house kindergarten through fourth grade. Corinth Middle School, which would be housed in the current junior high building, would serve grades five through eight.

District officials said the early feedback on the plan has been positive.

"This is generating a lot of enthusiasm," said board member Frank Dalton. "People are saying, ŒWhat can we to do help?'"

Board President Ann Walker said the plan is an example of the board's commitment to the students, staff and community and how "we're all continuing to work together for the future of our children."

The district would sell the East Corinth and West Corinth buildings to the highest bidder. The South Corinth campus, which is the former Easom school, will remain property of the district. A committee of neighborhood residents and former Easom students has been formed to come up with ideas for use of the building.

If the bond issue is approved, the district anticipates the new elementary school will be ready for the 2010-2011 school year. The overall plan encompasses five years of improvements.

Childress anticipates Corinth Elementary School will have enrollment of about 900.

The district's current campus structure and enrollment is:

- West Corinth Elementary (K-1) - 357
- East Corinth Elementary (2-4) - 519
- South Corinth Elementary (5-6) - 321
- Corinth Junior High (7-8) - 259
- Corinth High School (9-12) - 445

In addition to providing some much-needed space, the district is touting the advantages of reducing the number of school transitions for students, better coordination of curriculum and student services, and significant cost savings.

"East and West are absolutely packed," Childress said of the space concerns.

"They are using every amount of available space they presently have to provide services. We've got personnel working in part of the cafeteria, in part of auditoriums. This will give us an opportunity to provide them with new and better space to do these things."

The superintendent said no decisions have been made on staffing, although he anticipates there will be more than one administrator on each site.

"We will be exploring models and looking at some things that would promote student learning," he said. "We do not see there being any actual reduction in staff. However, we do believe we can do some things more efficiently and probably some things will be handled through attrition."

With the reorganization, he said the district will save money on general personnel, utilities, transportation and maintenance.

Upgrades planned for Corinth High School include carpet replacement and painting, technology updates, enhancement in security, the addition of a girls' softball facility, track and field enhancements, field house renovations and concession/restroom construction and updates.

The current junior high building would see more classroom renovations, enhancement in security, cafeteria and restroom renovations, and HVAC improvements, among other site improvements.

In addition to the bond issue, the district will use $2.7 million in capital improvement funds; $1.6 million in 3 mill funds; $750,000 in district funds; and $250,000 in Education Enhancement Fund building monies. If the bond issue is approved, Childress estimates ground could be broken for the new school by October or November.

The district had been looking at a facilities plan for some time, and the recent evaluation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement identified adequate updated facilities as one of four challenges facing the district.

The reorganization plans were announced to district staff on Tuesday.

On the May 20 ballot, residents will vote either "for" or "against" the bondissue.

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