Haywood County Schools gets facilities update; staff recommends name 'Haywood Innovative' for new middle school

At a Haywood County Schools work session, staff provided a multi-part facilities update covering an in-progress district facility assessment, recent and pending fencing and gate work at several campuses, permits and contracts for farm and sewer projects, the status of a daycare fit-out, and a recommended name and logo for a planned accelerated middle school.

The update was presented by Mr. Haines, facilities staff, who told the board the district-wide facility assessment by the Clark Nexon team is nearly complete and is expected to be finished "mid month towards the end" of September; Clark Nexon will present the assessment at the October work session so board members can ask questions, Haines said.

The assessment and its recommendations are intended to reflect priorities the board identified during earlier site visits, Haines said. "They just kinda wanna go over again, you know, the things that you all had kinda prioritized ... making sure that they're giving the board the things that they want to see in that assessment and those recommendations," he said.

Security and site work: Haines reported the new fence at Waynesville Middle School is complete except for a hood that covers a card reader for the cafeteria gate; that gate requires a push button to allow deliveries. Staff plan to start using the pedestrian gates next week to confirm all card readers work and then move to the roll gates, at which point Haines said the system should be "fully functional." He described how staff badges and gate buttons will operate: staff will use cards to tap at pedestrian gates; individuals inside the fence who need to exit can press a button set back from the gate to leave.

Athletic fields: Haines said work on athletic fields is wrapping up. At Pisgah, softball fencing is complete; baseball crews were finishing wind slats and netting this week so foul balls do not go into adjacent woods. At Tuscola, baseball fencing is finished and softball fencing needs finishing touches and a missing piece to enclose the outside fence and netting; Canton ballfields need only capping on the softball fence. Haines said those items should be complete by the end of the week or the beginning of next week. He also said crews will reinstall a fence at the old Central Haywood High School Junaluska Warrior Field that was damaged by Hurricane Helene.

Farm and sewer projects: Haines reported the lease for what he called the Pizga Farm received the property owner’s signature that day; he said the district would seek the county permit the following day so the contractor can pour a pad and begin barn construction. On the Tuscola farm site, Haines said the fence is done and district staff are working on a sewer line. He said "CDC have got a contract from them that I'll be bringing to the building and grounds on Monday," and if the board approves that contract the district will be able to bid the sewer project and select a contractor. Haines estimated that if the contract is approved this month, the district hopes to have a contractor selected in October and start work by mid-October.

Haywood Innovative (recommended name): Staff provided a suggested name, logo and mascot for the planned accelerated middle school that will be colocated with Haywood Early College. Haines said the recommendation from staff is the name "Haywood Innovative," and said the name emphasizes the district’s partnership with Haywood Community College (hence using "Haywood") and the district’s intent for the school to be "cutting edge" in teaching and learning (hence "Innovative"). He said the school would serve the entire county.

Haines noted board policy gives the board the authority to name facilities and that tonight was only a work session, so no formal decision would be made. He asked that the name and logo be placed on the board meeting agenda for formal consideration. "I'll put it in the chat ... and put it straight on the agenda," Haines said. Board member Mr. Putnam indicated he was "good with it," but Haines and other staff emphasized the final vote must occur at a public board meeting.

School design and timeline: Haines said the district issued a request for qualifications for architectural or design work on the new middle school and received one response. He said he will bring that response to the board on Monday for approval to proceed. He also said staff and Ms. Fox (school staff) plan recurring meetings to define program details, course offerings and how the new middle school will coordinate with the three traditional high schools and Haywood Early College.

Daycare and staffing: Haines updated the board on a district daycare project: the first daycare room is complete; the second room has repaired walls and painting finished and crews are stripping and waxing floors before cabinets and sinks are installed. He said Ms. Benson will work with the state to schedule inspections and that staff have not yet begun formal hiring for daycare staff. Haines said timetable for opening will depend on state inspection timing and securing certified staff: "I think it was either 6 to 8 weeks or 8 to 12 weeks ... but it's really gonna be dependent on if we can find the people to work in there and the staff and make sure they're all certified," he said.

Student enrollment and funding context: Haines and other staff discussed enrollment-count rules that affect state and county funding. Ms. Fox explained state funding is tied to average daily membership (ADM) and attendance within the first 10 days of the school year; county funding uses a "best of two" method comparing the first and second month. Fox said ADM captures attendance patterns and can increase or shrink funding based on early attendance.

Outlook and next steps: Staff said they expect Clark Nexon to present the facility assessment in October. Haines said he will bring the RFQ response and the Tuscola sewer contract to the building and grounds agenda on Monday for board action, and he asked that the board consider placing the "Haywood Innovative" name and logo on the next regular board meeting agenda for a naming vote. He also said the district plans outreach and an application process for the new middle school with a likely public advertising push in December or January to gauge interest.

At the close of the work session Mr. Haines asked for a motion to go into closed session "for some items dealing with legal." The record shows the motion was seconded by Mr. Kirkpatrick; the transcript does not record a roll-call vote or further action in open session.