PANEL TO LOOK INTO SCHOOL WOES AT JACKSON

JACKSON -- A committee of staff and community members will convene to discuss building needs and the Jackson School District's growing pains in the near future.

The Jackson Board of Education will submit names to Superintendent Ron Anderson over the next week and develop a full committee to study facilities and other needs of the district. The school board discussed space needs and possible development of the junior high and high school during a meeting Tuesday.

Anderson told board members work was continuing on plans to add some 18 classrooms, expand kitchen and gymnasium areas, and renovate R.O. Hawkins Junior High. The board needs to decide whether it wants architects developing renovation and expansion drawings to forward their work to engineers, a move that would incur costs of about $100,000 for the district.

The costs could be paid out of the district's capital project fund. If voters approved a bond issue at a later date, the school board could reimburse the fund.

The project will take 18 months to complete after construction begins. Because of overcrowding at the junior high, the board should make a decision soon, said Anderson.

"If we move forward, we probably should do so at the next meeting," he said. "If not, we'll be in a holding pattern."

Board members agreed that the committee should be convened and charged with ranking the district's needs before incurring any costs.

Board president Dr. T. Wayne Lewis said the school board should keep the community informed of its decisions. However, sometimes it is necessary to authorize people to work during the planning process.

"At this point we don't want to seem presumptuous, like we're assuming something without getting input from others," he said.