Growth continues to challenge Pea Ridge school officials.
When the master facilities plan was approved by Pea Ridge School Board, the conversion charter school was not part of the school system. That, and school choice, may affect the growth of the district, Rick Neal, school superintendent, told School Board members Monday night.
"We think we're going to see growth," Neal said.
Assistant superintendent Keith Martin concurred.
"Kindergarten through fifth-grade is at Garfield. Sixth grade or above is bused into Rogers. There are 135 students in Garfield. Once they hit that number, I think we'll see more students coming here because we're closer," Martin said.
Neal and Martin told board members that if the district continues the three percent growth it has been experiencing, Pea Ridge could see more than 1,800 students for the 2015-2016 school year.
Neal said purchasing land is an option that needs to be considered.
Neal told board members a realtor approached him saying he had a potential buyer.
"He (the buyer) wants to put a youth baseball/softball complex there. We could sell that land. We purchased it eight years ago for $138,000," Neal said, adding that it could sell for $250,000. He said the district could lease the fields back for ball games.
"We'd have it free and clear," Neal said. "We use that facility six weeks out of the year."
Board member Joshua Ramsey noted that youth leagues use the fields, too.
"I understand some of the emotional ties to the fields," Ramsey said, "but we have to do what's best for the district."
Neal explained that some options include leasing the fields as long as necessary and then building a new ball complex when more land is purchased. He said several pieces of property are being considered, including land on Lee Town Road and land on Weston Street and Hazelton Road. He anticipated that building a new ball complex could cost anywhere from $750,000 to $1 million.
"The softball field is dangerous; it's right next to the road," Neal said.
"I'd like permission to enter into negotiations," he said to the board.
For future growth needs, Neal said a new primary school could be constructed at a different location, the middle school could go in the current primary school, ninth- and 10th-grades could go into the current middle school and the high school could house juniors and seniors.
Board members agreed to consider the various options.
General News on 03/12/2014