Jackson school plan

Jackson School District officials believe they've found a solution to space needs at the high school. For a decade now, the students -- there are 1,200 now -- and their teachers have lived with aging buildings and crowded classrooms in the heart of the city.

The district last week unveiled its plan for $25 million in improvements and new construction for the high school. Construction could begin as early as fall 2005.

The plan -- a new gymnasium, a two- or three-story agribusiness building and a new building for offices, a cafeteria, English, social studies and business classes -- hinges on a bond issue that requires voter approval. School officials hope to get it on the ballot by November.

Officials say the plan would accommodate future growth in both programs and students through 2020. If space continues to be a problem then, the plan would allow for classroom additions to the buildings. Most of the high school's buildings date to the 1920s, and some haven't been updated for at least 50 years.

School officials believe the cost of building a completely new campus would be too prohibitive considering the nearly $14 million investment that's already been made at the existing campus on Missouri Street. And district officials proposed a community center/aquatic center or library joint venture with the city last year. No such partnership has been completed, but moving the campus could be a hindrance to such a plan.

Jackson schools have set forth an ambitious plan that requires voter support. The district previously set forth renovation plans for other school buildings but was met with some resistance until the specific details could be explained to voters. This plan offers plenty of detail.

There's no question that Jackson schools have had space constraints in the past decade, thanks to the city's boom in new housing construction during the mid-1990s. New elementary schools and renovations at the junior high have already been necessary to address the growth in student population. It's only logical that the high school should be next.