With classroom space already at capacity, Russellville Middle School may soon see an eight-classroom addition after the Russellville City Board of Education approved the first step at its Thursday meeting.
The board authorized Superintendent Heath Grimes to move forward to obtain architectural plans for the project then to advertise the project for bids.
Expected to cost between $1.5-$2 million, the addition will house eight classrooms, including two special education classrooms, and a boys and girls restroom.
Grimes told board members this year's fifth-grade class at Russellville Elementary, which will enter Russellville Middle School next fall, has 50 more students than the outgoing eighth-grade class, resulting in a net increase of at least 50 students next year. Transfer students could add to that total Grimes said.
“Those numbers will mean an increase of at least two classes and we literally have no classroom space at Russellville Middle School,” Grimes said. “This is the most realistic, feasible and affordable solution for our system right now.”
Funding for the addition will come from reserve monies the system has. Alabama law requires public school systems to maintain at least a one-month reserve fund, in the case of Russellville City Schools, approximately $1.6 million. The system's reserve fund has approximately $4 million, Grimes said.
“We'll be using reserve funds on this project, which is the most urgent need we face in the system,” Grimes said.
Even with the addition, Russellville City Schools will maintain sufficient reserve funds to comply with state law.
Grimes hopes to see students in the new addition by next fall, but he realizes that is an ambitious goal.
“We've never seen a construction project done in that time frame but we hope to be ready at the start of next year,” he said. “Realistically, though, a lot of factors have to fall into place for that to happen.”
Grimes said he and board members wanted to address the need for more space at RMS without having to do a bond issue. With sufficient reserve funds on hand, they were able to do just that.
In other action, the board:
--renewed a $500,000 unsecured line of credit with CB&S Bank.
--selected Greg Trapp as board delegate to the AASB Convention and Delegate Assembly set for December 8-10 in Birmingham. Bret Gist was selected as alternate delegate.
--approved the use of RHS Fine Arts Building by the RHS Color Guard for its fundraiser “Mistletoe Market” on November 19, 2016.
--approved employment in position of Alana Swinney as library media specialist, effective Dec. 1, 2016, and Kathryn Montgomery, RHS teacher, effective January 3, 2017; temporary employment of Allison Agee as business education teacher at RMS from November 16, 2016, through December 16, 2016; employment in supplement for Kathryn Montgomery as varsity softball coach, effective January 3, 2017. Montgomery will serve as volunteer coach until that time; resignation in supplement for Kim Hood, girls varsity and JV tennis coach.
The next regular scheduled meeting of the Russellville Board of Educaton will be November 21, 2016, at 3:30 p.m., with work session at 2:30 p.m.
