BENTONVILLE — Design work on the second high school is under way with construction set to begin in July.

An advisory committee consisting of 22 school district administrators, teachers, students and construction professionals has met a few times this fall to consider some specifics related to the school’s design.

“Between now and Christmas our goal is to come up with a schematic plan that identifies all the program spaces and puts those into a format that becomes a floor plan for the building,” said Ron Shelby, chief executive officer of Hight-Jackson Associates, a Rogers-based architectural firm working on the project.

The school is planned to be 362,000 square feet based on state requirements for a school with a capacity of 2,250 students. But the School District has some freedom to determine how it can use some of that space, which is what the committee is considering.

One example is whether the school should contain a large lecture hall such as the one at Bentonville High School, said Michael Poore, district superintendent. There are benefits and drawbacks to such a feature, he said.

Teresa Hudson, the district’s career tech coordinator, is a committee member. She is responsible for making sure the new high school has adequate space for career tech classes.

“There’s a timeline, and we’re right on time with everything,” Hudson said.

Voters approved a 2.9-mill tax increase in September to provide $73 million for the $86 million high school. The state has pledged to provide the remaining $13 million.

The high school is scheduled to open in August 2016 on Gamble Road in Centerton. A two-year construction timeline is typical for a building of this size, Shelby said.

The committee’s next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 13. Architects will present a general layout of the building to the committee at that time. Exactly how the building will be configured depends on numerous factors, such as the best way to accommodate traffic flow, Shelby said.

“Between now and March it’s a matter of letting this building evolve into something that we’re comfortable with in terms of square footage and budget,” Shelby said.

The School Board meets at 5:30 p.m. today for a pre-agenda planning session. On the meeting agenda is a discussion of several items related to the second high school, including attendance boundaries, principal selection and the school’s name.

Also to be discussed at today’s meeting is the grade roll-out at the new school. Poore said his recommendation always has been to begin the school with grades nine and 10 and add one grade level per year, but the final decision rests with the board.

“There are all sorts of ways people open up buildings,” Poore said. “You want to look at your (student) numbers, your costs, and the impact it will have in terms of staffing.”