ROGERS -- The School Board is moving forward with evaluating how it should use a large chunk of vacant land.
The board on Tuesday unanimously approved a contract with architectural and engineering firm Crafton Tull to study 80 acres the School District owns in the southwest part of Rogers.
Calendars
Drafts of the regular calendar and the continuous learning calendar for the 2015-16 school year were presented to the Rogers School Board on Tuesday. Under the regular calendar, the first seven inclement weather days will be made up starting with what would normally be the first week of summer vacation. Additional days would be made up Feb. 15, May 23, March 12 and April 2 of 2016. The board is expected to approve calendars at its meeting next month.
Source: Staff report
"We have asked (Crafton Tull) to do a feasibility plan for multiple facilities on this piece of property," said Jim White, the district's chief operating officer.
The rectangular piece of land is sandwiched between the Silo Falls subdivision to the east and the Bellview Estates subdivision to the west. The district has owned the land for about 10 years, White said.
Jerry Carmichael, board president, called the feasibility study "a starting point" in evaluating the property.
"We're trying to explore what we can do there," Carmichael said.
Crafton Tull will not make specific recommendations as to what kinds of schools should go there, but the firm will consider the property from an engineering standpoint to examine things such as the availability of utilities, traffic flow and detention pond sizing, White said.
The firm also will look at what effects the adjacent Razorback Greenway trail, which runs along the property's west and south sides, would have on any schools built there.
It's estimated Crafton Tull's services will cost the district $9,500, with reimbursable expenses expected to add another $500 to the bill.
There's no timetable for when the firm will complete its work, White said.
Carmichael said he's been in the habit of referring to the property as the location of the district's fourth high school, but the district has other options worth exploring there.
Board members decided to pursue a study of the property during a conversation about facilities last month. No new schools are in the immediate plans for the district, though the master plan calls for opening another elementary school by the 2018-19 school year.
The board reviewed student growth last month but will examine it again in the fall. Projections show the district's enrollment growing about 5.5 percent between this fall and the 2019-20 school year.
In other business, the Rogers High School and Heritage High School principals reported on the re-accreditation process both schools went through late last month.
After spending two full days at the schools, reviewers said they would recommend both schools be accredited for another five years, said Karen Steen, Heritage High's principal. Official word on that has not come yet, however.
The voluntary accreditation process is done through AdvancED, a nonprofit organization that conducts rigorous reviews of schools and school systems. Both Rogers high schools are currently accredited through AdvancED, but their accreditations are set to expire this summer.
Janie Darr, superintendent, said she attended exit conferences with both review teams. She said both teams were highly complimentary of Rogers High and Heritage High.
"They really were positive about things that were going on and the student achievement and engagement," Darr said. "And they did recommend some ways for us to grow. We do think it will help us move forward."
NW News on 02/18/2015