The Williamsburg-James City County School Board will vote Nov. 20 on Superintendent Steve Constantino’s proposal, albeit with a couple tweaks, to create a committee to study middle school and office space needs.
The board reviewed Constantino’s proposal at its Tuesday work session. Constantino proposes the administration study its space needs and deliver a report by December. To find a solution to the division’s swelling middle school enrollment, he suggests the division appoint a 15-person committee to study options for addressing the future needs of the division’s middle school students.
The board members liked the proposal, but had suggestions. Joe Fuentes, an engineer with Newport News Shipbuilding, wanted to ensure the language of the committee’s charter indicates its members will need to consult with architects and engineers to determine the feasibility of their ideas.
In addition, member Heather Cordasco suggested the committee should investigate whether the three existing middle schools in use could be expanded. The other members agreed, saying the committee will have to carefully weigh the financial realities against the community’s expectations for the size of middle schools. City representative Elise Emanuel noted that parents and teachers have said Berkeley Middle School, already overcrowded, “doesn’t work well.”
The proposed committee would examine whether the former James Blair Middle School property, now used as a Central Office, could be an appropriate site to build a new middle school; the existing building could be reconfigured to meet the needs of future middle schoolers; or if the existing building could meet the needs of both students and the administration.
The study committee would then recommend up to three options. Each option would have to focus on meeting the future learning needs of students and resolving future housing issues; ensure the recommendations conform to the projections in the Capital Improvement Plan and are fiscally responsible; and consider the space needs for the School Board/Central Office complex.
Constantino recommends the 15-person committee include the Senior Director for Operations; one school board member; one representative from the Business & Community Advisory Committee; one representative from the Chamber of Commerce Governmental Affairs Committee; three parents of students who will be middle school-aged by 2017; two core subject-area coordinators; one middle school principal; and five middle school teachers representing core and co-curricular areas.
The board will meet at 7 p.m. Nov. 20 in Building F at the County Complex. Read more about the proposal here.
