Changes Proposed in Central Schools: Superintendent Recommends $2.77 Million in Maintenance & Increase of Student/Teacher Ratio

    Superintendent Faulk has recommended to the Central Community School Board that student/teacher ratios be increased to address the growing student population, and that $2.77 million be spent over the next three years in major building maintenance.
    In Monday’s School Board meeting Faulk explained that the school system has grown from nearly 3,200 students in 2008 to over 4,500 today.  When the school system was created the target student/teacher ratio at the elementary level was 20:1.  He proposes that the School Board approve a 22:1 ratio in Kindergarten and 24:1 in 1st through 5th grades.
    The superintendent also recommended maintenance projects beginning immediately calling for $970,000 in expenses in the next 15 months and another $1,822,388 by June of 2017.  The projects include a new floor for the High School gym and asphalt paving of the parking lot in front of the new 9th Grade Academy.
The total proposed expenditures by school are: Central High $1,854,888, Tanglewood $528,500, Bellingrath $375,000, Central Middle $20,000, and Central Intermediate $15,000.  All of these expenditures would be covered by monies in the operating budgets of the school system.
    All of these proposed expenditures will be voted on by the School Board at next week’s meeting.  Superintendent Faulk also reported that a long range plan for projects through June of 2019 will be presented to the board during the next school year.