Published: May 09, 2008 11:56 am         

Mineral bond passage would maintain community schools

Editor's note: Mineral County Superintendent of Schools Skip Hackworth submitted this article.

KEYSER, W.Va. - For years, students at Burlington Primary School have had physical education, music and art classes in the same small classroom area in which they eat lunch. Yes, the teachers have made it work but it has been totally inadequate.

The plan for the school is to construct a gymnasium that can be utilized for other purposes. The community will also have access to the facility. This has been a need in the Burlington community for many years.

This project will cost $2.4 million - all from bond proceeds.

There is a need to reorganize the grade levels at Fort Ashby Primary School and Frankfort Intermediate School to provide adequate space and keep the Fort Ashby students in their home community for their primary education.

Fort Ashby Primary School now houses grades K-2, and if this bond is successful, will remain open for students in prekindergarten and kindergarten. Grades 1-2 will be housed at Frankfort Intermediate School, which, of course, is also in Fort Ashby. There is no new work required at Fort Ashby Primary School to accomplish this part of the reorganization.

Frankfort Intermediate School now provides space for prekindergarten students in Fort Ashby and grades 3-4 for the entire Frankfort district. If the bond is successful, this school will house students in grades 1-4 from Fort Ashby; students in grades 3-4 from the Wiley Ford area will be returned to Wiley Ford Primary School.

At Frankfort Intermediate School, funds will provide for the renovation of the kitchen, construction of a cafeteria and classrooms. These improvements will eliminate the need to have students in an unattached metal building that provides space for the library and art and music instruction.

This project will cost $3.2 million from bond funds.

Students from the Carpendale, Ridgeley, Wiley Ford and Lakewood communities attend Wiley Ford Primary School in prekindergarten through grade 2. Passage of the bond will allow these students to remain at their community school through grade 4. Students in grades 3-4 attend Frankfort Intermediate School. Many of these students from the Carpendale and Ridgeley areas ride the bus longer than high school students do.

Renovations at this school include the construction of a classroom addition for the students in grades 3 and 4; construction of a multipurpose room as a cafeteria and gymnasium; and renovation of the kitchen. This would be a two-story addition, which can be enlarged if the need arises. There would be an elevator in the school to make it compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act. The two ball fields will remain for community use along with the gymnasium.

Estimated cost of this project is $5.9 million - $2 million from the School Building Authority and $3.9 million from the bond.

Students in the primary and middle school grades in Keyser attend school in the same building with nearly 1,200 students in the school. It is extremely overcrowded and most of the classrooms are inadequate in size and many of them do not have doors. To access several of the classrooms, you must go through one or two other classrooms.

The proposal is to split this school into two schools - a new primary school and renovations to the current building to make it a middle school.

The new primary school will serve students in prekindergarten through grade 4 and will be constructed on property owned by the Board of Education, the Tack Clark Complex.

All instructional space would meet the SBA requirements. Classroom space would accommodate the prekindergarten students who are housed at the Head Start Center on West Piedmont Street. The football and softball fields and walking track area would be maintained for the community.

Estimated cost of this project is $12.3 million - $7 million from the SBA and $5.3 million from the bonds.

The current Keyser Primary-Middle School would be renovated to house grades 5-8 in the Keyser district. This would separate the middle school students from the primary students. All classrooms would be adequate in size.

We have been doing some renovation to this school over the past couple of years. Additional renovations will include carpet replacement, rest rooms and converting classroom space for middle school students.

Estimated cost of this project is $1.6 million - $1 million from bond funds and $600,000 from Board of Education funds.

Mark Manchin, executive director of the SBA, has said, "Everybody wants a school in their community. Passage of this bond gives the citizens of Mineral County an opportunity to maintain primary schools in each community."

Voting will take place Tuesday at your regular precinct.