StudentsFirst tells its side of the story
A couple of weeks ago, we wrote about BuildSmart, the group that wants Fayetteville High School to stay at its current location.
Near the end of our post, we asked those who favored building a new school where their website was. Well, we found it.
Thanks to a recent Arkansas Times article, we discovered that the opposition has named itself “StudentsFirst” (which the Iconoclast already reported but we missed it). A quick search brought us to FayStudentsFirst.org which is the headquarters for those who “believe that the best solution for Fayetteville High School is to build a new, state-of-the-art high school in a new location rather than attempt to salvage the old, outdated Stone Street location with new construction.”
So there you have it. Both sides of the story, folks. Now get to reading and let us know where you stand. Should we build a brand new school or renovate the existing location?
Discussion
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By Janine Parry on March 13th, 2008
Thanks again for your attention to this issue. Just wanted to clarify what BuildSmart is for, as it is about 60 seconds more complicated than “new location-new facility.”
BuildSmart supports the construction of a world-class high school on the current FHS site. Specifically, we urge the school board to pursue something like Option 1, Scenarios D or E as presented by school board members Susan Heil and Tim Kring in the spring of 2007.
Both scenarios place two buildings on the present site, constructed in stages to minimize disruptions. First, a brand new 3-4 story building would be constructed across Stone Street from the present facility (on the current site of the district’s administration building); once that was complete, the 10-12 graders would move in and renovation would begin on a (now empty) 9th or 9th/10th grade center and world-class performing arts center. The total construction time is estimated to be three-four years, though the first building would be completed and occupied in approximately half that time. The estimated total cost is $65-77 million.
The result would be a modern high school in which younger students were separated from older students in side-by-side buildings of fewer than 1500 students each. Yet everyone would share access to world-class academic, performing arts, and athletic facilities.
In short, this option delivers a 21st century facility, safely and affordably. It also combines the advantages of two smaller schools with those of one big school.
You can find more information - much more - on our new FAQ page: http://buildsmart.org/faq
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