The story was originally published in The Sylva Herald on Feb. 28, 2019
The Jackson County Board of Education looked across a long meeting table last week and told the Board of Commissioners that the top priorities for the upcoming fiscal year are accessibility and safety. The two boards came together last Wednesday at the Department of Aging to discuss facility budgetary needs for the upcoming 2019-2020 school year.
The priority project for the upcoming school year is to update the baseball field at Smoky Mountain High School to meet federal regulations on accessibility, School Superintendent Kim Elliott told the board. The project is estimated to cost $250,000 and will be rolled out in two phases.
Phase one would consist of renovating the upper parking lot as well as the stadium seating, Assistant Superintendent Jake Buchanan said. This would add a disabled accessible toilet and add van accessible parking. Concrete gallery seating with handrails will also be added to provide comfort for all who are visiting the stadium. This phase is projected to begin in March 2019.
Phase two would create a new parking lot with more accessible spots and bleacher seating. August 1 is the projected start date for construction of phase two, Buchanan said.
“Updating the baseball stadium is not optional,” Elliot said. “We did not prioritize that as number one, it was prioritized for us.”
Elliot said Jake Buchanan and Director of Operations Jason Watson have been working with architects to remedy the issues that limit accessibility.
Commissioner Boyce Deitz said the stadium needs to be fixed right and asked Buchanan why the school board did not ask for a total renovation of the stadium. Buchanan estimated building a new stadium would cost about $500,000 and said if funds become available they have plans already in the design phase.
The next top priority is to install single entry points and egress courtyards in every school in Jackson County. The estimated $2.5 million-dollar project would create single-entry point in all county schools and enclosed courtyards in some schools.
It would take 18 months to complete and would enhance school safety in all schools, Buchanan said. The improvements would include changing main exterior doors to swipe-key entry, eliminating all brass key entry. Faculty and staff would have swipe cards that allow them in the building during designated hours.
Visitors would enter through a single entry that is monitored by security cameras and then be directed to the main office. Elliott said she wants to enclose all the outdoor courtyards in schools to create safe outdoor learning areas.
Additionally, the Jackson County Schools asked the commissioners for almost $1.4 million for general maintenance and technology funding. This would continue funding the one-to-one initiative, giving students access to smart devices (that will be left in the classroom) to enhance their learning potential, Elliott said.
The Board of Education ranked the capital needs with consideration from principals at every school, Elliott said.
Some long-term needs that Elliott presented were:
an ADA compliant ramp at SMHS football stadium.
an ADA compliant visitor bathrooms/concession stand.
an improved bus garage.
a track on the Jones Street property for SMHS.
a larger Fairview Elementary Cafeteria.
an expanded Blue Ridge gym with a performance stage.
adding air conditioning to the SMHS auxiliary gym.
“These are big-ticket items,” Elliot said. She told the commissioners she hopes these projects can be completed within five to 10 years.
Originally built in 1957, the current bus garage is not large enough to hold buses on lifts, making it difficult for routine maintenance to be conducted.
“Most of the time we don’t have the space to put a bus up on a lift, so we have to use a concrete pad in front of the bus garage to lift the bus up,” Buchanan said.
Parts storage is also an issue. One of the bus bays is being used to house large hydraulic lifts and diesel gas cans which takes up vital working space. For extra parts storage, garage workers have utilized old mobile classrooms. Even with the added space, there are still parts that are being stored outside.
With safety in mind, the third-ranked capital need is to make the SMHS football stadium ADA compliant, and better equipped for students and visitors with limited mobility, Elliott said.
Projections for the school’s operational needs were also presented. Elliott hopes that the board will have the funding to raise teacher supplements from 2 to 6 percent to compete with surrounding counties. Haywood County currently has an 8 percent supplement for teachers while Buncombe County is at 12 percent. She also hopes to raise supplements for teacher assistants, she said.
At the end of the joint meeting Board of Education Chair Allison Laird-Large thanked the board of commissioners for all that they do for the kids in Jackson County. “It’s all about the kids at the end of the day,” Commissioner Mickey Luker said.
