Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Prek Location topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Clarke County staff propose splitting pre-K between Boyce and Cooley to house about 36 applicants
Summary
School division staff presented an informational plan to locate next year’s pre-kindergarten students at Boyce and Cooley elementaries, splitting roughly 36 applicants into two classes and keeping the existing facility open to Parks & Rec and Head Start.
Clarke County Public Schools staff presented an informational plan June 10 to split next year’s pre-kindergarten cohort between Boyce Elementary and Cooley Elementary, citing space and operational considerations.
Division staff said about 36 students have applied for pre-K and that the students could be divided roughly 18 and 18 between the two schools, with two instructional assistants in each classroom if a teacher cannot be found. “We have 36 students who’ve applied for pre k. We could easily do 18 and 18,” a staff member told the board. Staff said placing students at both elementaries would give children access to specials, the school counselor and the nurse and would keep them “a little bit more connected with the overall school community.”
The proposal would keep the currently used building in the division’s inventory and allow Parks and Recreation and Head Start to remain in the space; staff said Head Start already pays a portion of the utilities. Division representatives suggested the assistant principal at each school could oversee the pre-K program and that two instructional assistants per class would provide additional support.
Board members voiced general support while flagging building-condition and utilities issues. “I like the idea a lot,” one board member said. Another said the division should be cautious about shutting off utilities in parts of the older building because of prior concerns about mold and aging heating and cooling units. Board members and staff discussed exploring whether an addition to Cooley Lower would be more cost-effective than renovating the older building.
Staff emphasized this was an informational item and that no vote was required; the division would work with teachers and notify them this week if the plan moves forward. “We would need to tell the teachers and work through that this week,” a staff member said.
No formal action was taken at the meeting; staff said they will continue planning and report back as details are refined.
