Bentonville West expansion options range from sports and arts upgrades to a new academic high school, board told

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — District staff and architects told the Bentonville School District board at a Jan. 23 work session that Bentonville West High School will need additional capacity and support spaces by 2029 and presented three paths: a set of athletic and arts “catch-up” projects, two different classroom-expansion schemes that reconfigure parking and circulation, or building a new separate academic/career (Ignite/Professional Studies) high school.

The proposals, presented by Michelle McLaughlin of Hyatt Jackson with construction partners from Flintco, follow continuing enrollment growth in the district’s southwest sector and a 10-year facilities review. The presentation included conceptual site plans, program counts and order-of-magnitude cost ranges; staff asked the board to pick a direction by August so projects could be ready in time for the 2029 school year if needed.

Why it matters: Bentonville West already operates above state program-of-requirement (POR) occupancy levels used by Arkansas facilities review. District presenters stressed that adding student seats without corresponding athletic, arts and support space will worsen overcrowding of locker rooms, band and practice areas and cafeteria/media facilities.

What was presented

Catch-up athletics and support spaces (items 1–4): The architects proposed a roughly 84,100-square-foot expansion of the school’s “DEN” complex to add dedicated soccer, track and cross-country locker rooms, coaches’ suites, storage and a maintenance building; a competition soccer field with lighting and bleachers; upgrades to baseball/softball fields and tennis courts; and a new band wing (6,000 sq. ft.) that would double as a tornado shelter. Presenters said some of these upgrades are already needed regardless of whether classroom capacity is added.

Two gym/locker-room options (4a and 4b) were shown. Option 4a builds an auxiliary gym on the south side and ties the gym expansion into one of the classroom-expansion options (5a), trading higher site rework costs for a classroom connection. Option 4b places the gym at the west side and is cheaper by itself but less efficient if the board elects the larger classroom expansion.

Two classroom-expansion options (5a and 5b): Option 5a adds classrooms to the south side of the building and creates a new east–west circulation corridor; it allows the school to remain largely operational during construction but produces more interior (windowless) classrooms. Option 5b adds a pod to the front of the building, which creates a new main entry but would require temporarily relocating administration and media services during construction (possibly into portables or the new auxiliary gym while work proceeds), meaning greater operational disruption.

Third option — a separate academic/career school (5c): Architects also priced a conceptual, stand-alone academic/career facility (described as an Ignite/Professional Studies-style campus) of roughly 150,000–250,000 square feet sized for 1,500–2,000 students, with an estimated 1,200 parking spaces. That option would centralize specialized career/technical pathways in a new building while students would remain “home-based” for sports and performing arts at the district’s two existing comprehensive high schools.

Estimated capacities and selected program numbers cited in the presentation (as stated by presenters): Bentonville West is operating over POR levels: presentation noted original POR design at about 2,000 students; after prior additions POR had been listed at about 2,780 with an actual occupant load reported as roughly 3,257; adding a further 600 students would raise the POR to about 3,380 and an actual load to about 3,857. For programmatic needs tied to a 600-student increase, presenters listed: 19 standard classrooms, two science labs, two project (career-ed) labs, two art classrooms, an auditorium/stage (not recommended for this phase), an additional 10,000 sq. ft. cafeteria and 3,000 sq. ft. kitchen, and a 5,000 sq. ft. media center expansion.

Costs and schedule notes cited in the presentation

Presenters provided order-of-magnitude costs and sequencing ranges rather than guaranteed contract figures. They said items 1–4 (the athletic/arts/support catch-up work) were estimated at about $26.5 million if pursued without major classroom expansion. Other slide commentary and board discussion placed the cost to do all catch-up items at Bentonville West (depending on the option set selected) in the range of roughly $40–$42 million, and larger combinations (including both catch-up and extensive classroom additions or a new academic school) were described with higher totals; presenters emphasized these are conceptual estimates that include escalation allowances for bidding in later years. The team recommended the board choose a direction by August to allow planning and bidding so needed spaces could be delivered on a timeline targeting the 2029 capacity need.

Operational constraints and site considerations

Presenters noted site utility easements (including a major public water and sewer easement running along the north side of the campus) that limit where additions can be built, and the presence of stormwater detention areas on Bentonville West’s 91-acre campus that differ from older Bentonville High School property. A new building code requirement was mentioned that tornado shelters must be provided for new construction within 1,000 feet of a building; several proposed additions (band wing, gyms) were designed to double as storm shelters.

District comment and next steps

Board members and staff stressed the district is exploring funding options and said a millage has not been decided. Presenters and staff said the district’s 10-year facilities plan and the presentation materials are posted on the district website. Staff identified two large parcels the district owns that could support a new campus (about 80 acres across from Fulbright and about 107 acres in Benton County adjacent to warehouse property), but the board has not taken a formal action to select a path. Staff asked the board to reach a decision by August so the district can sequence work and budgeting to meet projected 2029 seat needs.

Ending

No formal project approvals or policy votes were taken at the work session; the meeting was an informational workshop for trustees and staff to compare tradeoffs among staged renovations, larger additions, and a separate academic campus.