Board of education buys Nance Road property for pre-K
Madison City Schools has purchased property at 74 Nance Road, formerly home to Legacy Academy for Children, to house a pre-kindergarten school. (CONTRIBUTED)
MADISON – Madison Board of Education has purchased property at 74 Nance Road for use as a standalone pre-kindergarten (pre-K) school for the Madison City Schools district.
Legacy Academy for Children formerly occupied the building, which sits on a three-acre lot about 200 yards north of Rainbow Elementary School.
Originally, the property was listed at $1.6 million. School officials negotiated a purchase price of $837,500, which includes all furnishings, fixtures and playground equipment.
“Adding and expanding a new grade or program in our district, such as the pre-kindergarten program, places classroom demands on our existing facilities,” superintendent Dr. Dee Fowler said. “This purchase will allow the pre-kindergarten program to grow without limiting existing school classroom space.”
Currently, the pre-K program is expanding across Alabama and in the Madison district. This year, Madison City Schools administrators have added several pre-K classes at Rainbow with a competitive state grant.
“Proximity to Rainbow will make it easier to manage the new standalone pre-K school, including maintenance and satellite food services,” public relations manager John Peck said.
Formerly housing a daycare, the building was constructed in 2001 and has nine classrooms with expansion possibility for two more rooms, director of operations Patrick Conner said. The building needs some plumbing work, interior renovations and upgrades to satisfy Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements.
Jeana Ross, state director of the Department of Children’s Affairs, toured the property the week of Dec. 9.
The pre-K school will open for students in the 2014-2015 school year. “We are very excited about the pre-K program and the wonderful opportunity it affords,” Fowler said.
For more information, call 256-464-8370 or visit madisoncity.k12.al.us.
