Greenwood Middle School is expected to open on time after experiencing some delays in construction.
School Superintendent Les Daniels told the school board Tuesday that builders expect to turn the facility over to the district in July so that it can open in the fall as planned. They have reported that the building's interior should be substantially finished by June 15.
Bad weather set the construction back for a time, but the conditions have improved and more workers were added, Daniels said. Rozier Construction is the general contractor on the project.
The school will be able to accommodate up to 700 seventh- and eighth-graders - those who would currently attend Threadgill Junior High School. Students who would now attend Dickerson Elementary will move to the Threadgill site in the fall.
This announcement also helped clear the way for new tenants in the Dickerson building on Martin Luther King Drive. The board selected two groups as potential occupants and gave them the go-ahead to negotiate how they would co-exist.
Under a current proposal, part of the building would be occupied by the day-care center now housed at Threadgill, and part would house a Head Start facility operated by Mississippi Action for Progress.
Board President John Johnson said the day-care center would have trouble making the capital improvements necessary to bring the building up to its own standards. The center lacks money and would have trouble making the lease payments, he said.
The center could be forced out of business if it has to move, so its directors probably would rather stay where they are, Johnson said.
The day-care has been ordered to vacate the Threadgill building by May 31, but it will be given enough time to make a transition if necessary, Daniels said.
The board still must approve any lease arrangements for the building.
Also Tuesday, the board:
- Agreed to send a letter to the Greenwood-Leflore County Chamber of Commerce indicating that the board is willing to discuss consolidation of the Greenwood and Leflore County schools. Dr. V.K. Chawla asked the board in March to consider consolidation, for the sake of efficiency. In the letter, the board members take no position on the issue, but they say they are willing to discuss it.
- Authorized consulting and geotechnical investigation work to be performed by Aquaterra Engineering at Bankston Elementary School. The cost has been estimated at $7,250.
- Voted not to continue the student uniform policy operated as a pilot program this year at W.C. Williams Elementary. Principal James Mattox spoke to parents and later reported that too few students were participating, Daniels said. The code gives options for dress, including blue jumpers for girls and white or blue shirts with dark blue or khaki pants or blue jeans for boys. Parents objecting to the dress-code idea were given the opportunity to sign forms exempting their children from it.
- Set dates for two meetings related to the district budget: a board work session May 29 and a public hearing June 11. Both meetings will be held at 5 p.m. in the board room of the district office.
- Approved a pay raise of about 2.57 percent for Daniels, which would bring his yearly income to $100,375.
