On podcast, Parker explains four growth options
Robby Parker, Superintendent of Madison City Schools, is recording a weekly podcast to discuss current topics. CONTRIBUTED
MADISON – Robby Parker, Superintendent of Madison City Schools, used a podcast to explain the district’s options to deal with continuing growth, particularly in elementary grades.
Parker plans to release a weekly podcast that he records remotely from Madison classrooms. To view the podcast, visit madisoncity.k12.al.us and scroll down to click the box with Parker’s video.
“We have a wonderful problem in our district. We’re growing very fast. We’re gaining about 250 kids a year. We’ve got to make some decisions,” he said.
Madison’s elementary schools are at approximately 95 percent capacity, which refers to ‘total capacity’ but not the population at one particular school.
Parker said the district has four options to deal with growth:
* Build the eighth elementary school – A new school would have a $20-million price tag. “We don’t have $20 million. Realistically, (building a new school) is not going to happen,” he said.
* Portable classrooms – Portables have been an option in the past, but laws changed on Jan. 1, 2017. “Now, any new portable that is added at a school must have an adjacent storm cellar to house all the kids in the portable,” Parker said.
* Additions at an existing school – “The option we have is to build onto an existing elementary school. Architects are drawing plans. The elementary school that is readily available to build onto at this time is Horizon. Horizon’s zone is flourishing and is a mature zone with few new houses going up,” Parker said. “If we put up 10 new classrooms, we wouldn’t fill them up from the Horizon zone but” other sections of the city.
* Moving sixth grade to middle school – “We are looking at this option very strongly,” Parker said. If sixth-graders are moved, the earliest implementation would be in 1.5 years with additional classrooms built at Liberty Middle School.
“The sixth-grade option is very intriguing to us. We think we can afford it and we’re digging into it,” Parker said.
Parker encourages residents to call or email to discuss solutions for the district’s growth. “I’ll stop to talk to anybody that has questions, answers or just wants to talk,” Parker said.
By moving sixth-graders, MCS would gain about 10 years before a new elementary school must be built.
