Plan for new high school progresses

By Jazmine Knight

Voters may see a proposal for a new high school next spring as St. Joseph School District officials continue to move forward with their long-range plan.

Following a meeting of the school board on Monday, President LaTonya Williams said the next step in improving district facilities is to put the construction of a new high school on the ballot in April.

“It’s been a long time coming,” she said Williams. “I can remember being in high school, I graduated in ‘98, and we were talking about brand new high schools at that time.”

She said she’s happy to be part of a board making strides toward this long-term goal for the district.

DLR Group representatives, the architectural firm for the proposed new school, presented a timeline leading up to the April election. From now until Dec. 9, district officials will be looking into possible sites and different building concepts for the facility and refining their selections. Then through Dec. 24, a site would be finalized and the building budget prepared with the final day to accept the budget being on Jan. 6.

On Jan. 27, the board of education would decide whether to put the issue on the ballot. If that proposal moves forward, voters will make their decision on April 8.

With ballot language due to the county no later than Jan. 28, that doesn’t leave the district with much time. However, Williams said she is not worried.

“It’s not that the plan or anything is rushed. It’s the legal timeline that will likely appear to be rushed,” she said.

The long-range plan calls for the new school to go in either the north or south side of town. Currently, the board is brainstorming potential locations with community input in mind.

“At the next step, the community will get some input about the design and everything like that,” Williams said.