ROGERS -- Administrators are exploring ways to improve three of the School District's oldest buildings, particularly in terms of aesthetics and safety.
Those three buildings -- Lowell, Northside and Westside elementary schools -- are all more than 50 years old. Money raised through the 3.5-mill tax increase voters approved last year will pay for improvement at those buildings.
Personnel
The Rogers School Board approved two notable personnel appointments at its meeting Monday:
• Danya Scheiderer was chosen as the district’s executive director for curriculum and instruction for grades 9-12. Scheiderer, an assistant principal at New Technology High School since 2014, will work closely with teachers, academic facilitators and building administrators to coordinate and develop high school curriculum. She’ll replace Debbie Atwell, who has accepted the superintendent’s job in the Mountainburg School District.
• Budd Smith was hired as the next assistant principal at Grace Hill Elementary School. Smith has been assistant principal at Randall Lynch Middle School in Farmington for the last seven years.
Source: Rogers School District
The School Board on Tuesday approved entering into agreements with architects and construction management companies for reconstruction projects at each of the three schools.
Hight Jackson Associates and Nabholz Construction will work on Lowell. Core Architects and Baldwin and Shell Construction will work on Northside. Modus Studio and Milestone Construction will work on Westside.
"We have identified three of our older schools that need to have a refreshed look and some improvements that also get at safety and security, as well as just making it a better environment, updating and refreshing classrooms, hallways, doors, windows and those kinds of things to be more energy efficient as well," Superintendent Marlin Berry told the board.
A scope of work for each building will be brought to the board at a future meeting, at which time specific improvements and dollar amounts will be discussed. Construction probably won't start until June 2019, said Charles Lee, assistant superintendent for general administration.
"Based on the scope of work we want to actually do on the buildings, we'll come back with a budget and say, all right, here's what we can do for $2 million, here's what we can do for $3 million, $4 million and so on," Lee said.
Lowell Elementary School will get some work done this summer with construction of a hallway that will connect the two buildings on its campus. That project is expected to be done by Aug. 1.
As for next year's work at Lowell, officials are looking to spruce up the entrances to make them look better, Lee said.
At Northside, the main office needs to be moved closer to the main entrance. Right now, the office is "way down the hallway" from the entrance, Lee said.
Westside also could use security improvements and a more modern look to the building's exterior, he said.
The district will consider improvements at other buildings once it takes care of the first three.
Outsourcing plumbing
In other business at Tuesday's meeting, the board approved Berry's recommendation to outsource all of the district's plumbing work starting this summer.
The district will cut ties with the two plumbers it has on staff when this school year ends and rely solely on plumbing firms to do work in the future, Berry said.
"So many times things arise in our buildings that cause us to hire an outside vendor anyway," Berry said. "Other times it's hard for us to be efficient in terms of quickly going to a school and having the supplies that we need."
The board approved the move in a 7-0 vote.
Top teacher
The district has named Christhian Saavedra, a Kirksey Middle School Spanish teacher and Heritage High School boys soccer coach, its teacher of the year, Berry said.
Saavedra now will be considered for Arkansas teacher of the year honors. Finalists for that award usually are named in September.
NW News on 04/18/2018