The Joel E. Barber C-5 school district is considering building a high school add-on to their existing building.
Superintendent Dr. Rachelle Jennings discussed the current building layout, the layout with a high school addition, finances, and potential plans after Phase 1 is complete.
Phase 1 consists of building 11 classrooms, restrooms, a mechanical / electrical closet, and a temporary admin office, alongside the shell of an 11,000 sq. ft. gym. The shell will consist of a metal outline with minimal finishes. The plan also consists of laying gravel and earthwork for additional parking.
This puts the total cost of Phase 1 at about $4 million to $4.6 million according to the documents presented at the meeting and published on their website.
The board is continuing to look at General Obligation Bond options, alongside their Fund 4 balance, to help fund the construction, as well as future plans after Phase 1.
“We need to build what we need for the future,” Dr. Jennings said at the board meeting. “I want to make sure we have a good, laid-out plan for the next 20 years.”
The school district currently has over 500 students enrolled pre-K through 8th grade, with high schoolers travelling to neighboring districts within Laclede County. The addition of a high school will eventually allow the district to provide classes like welding to their students without the need to travel to neighboring districts to access those classes.
The board has not made any final decisions, but seems optimistic about Phase 1 of the high school building plans.
The Joel E. Barber Board of Education members will hold further meetings on October 29th at 6 p.m. and November 12th at 6 p.m. and encourages members of the community to attend. All plans and information referenced in this report can be found on the Joel E. Barber website.
