Bossier Parish School officials on June 12 asked the school board to approve professional services to design a new classroom wing at Benton High School after enrollment exceeded the school’s functional capacity.

Jason Cottom, Bossier Schools engineer, told the board Benton High opened in August 2019 with 71 permanent classrooms and a functional capacity of 1,491 students. “This past year, October 1 count was 1,511 students,” Cottom said, adding that is 101% of functional capacity. He presented projected enrollments that could push the school to roughly 1,560 students for fall 2025 and about 1,597 students in 2026 if current grade cohorts advance as expected.

Cottom asked the board to authorize professional services to develop layout, function and construction cost estimates for a proposed 12-classroom single-story wing. He said initial planning anticipates mirroring the original wing and that the addition would include a storm shelter as required under the current building code for Group E (educational) occupancies.

Board members raised cost and waiver questions related to the storm shelter requirement. One board member asked staff to “come back with an estimate before we go out for bid,” emphasizing that shelter construction could add “several million dollars” to the project cost. Cottom said the district maintains a committed construction fund intended for future projects and that staff will return with cost estimates; he estimated an aggressive schedule that could allow the wing to open in fall 2027 if design and construction proceed as planned.

The board approved moving forward with professional services (motion by Miss Smith; second by Miss Poole). Members also requested staff verify in writing whether waivers from the state fire marshal or other authorities might apply to storm shelter requirements before final design decisions are made.

Cottom noted that while the original school design included a footprint for a future expansion, structural and code changes (including the shelter requirement) mean the expansion cannot be a straight copy of earlier plans. He also noted the new wing would be planned as a connector on the south side of campus and that interior finishes would be intended to match the existing school.

No construction contract or final cost was approved June 12; the board authorized only authorization of professional services to develop design and estimates for future consideration.