Christopher Lugo
editor@highlandsnews.com
Lack of space, staffing and COVID-19 are just some of the things that formed a perfect storm to bring childcare to a crisis situation across the nation. In Macon County, the need is just as apparent with 87 kids on the waitlist for the two child development centers in Highlands.
At the Feb. 28 Macon County Board of Education meeting, board members approved unanimously sending a proposal to the Macon County Board of Commissioners that will include a request for an $8.6 million renovation project at Highlands School, which will include two pre-K classrooms.
Forming the request
Highlands School principal Brian Jetter said they have been working on bringing pre-K classes to the school.
“We had a budget meeting the other day and one of the things we do during the budget meeting is turn in different requests, basically anything that is capital outlay, which is $5,000 or more,” Jetter said. “In this case, we want to add two pre-K classrooms.”
Jetter said the main problem with adding classrooms is the space. “We have every adult that we have in a room,” Jetter said. “Sometimes small rooms. So, we really don’t have much room to add pre-K until they add more rooms.”
The Advancing Highlands Education Committee (AHEC) is spearheading the project. Initially, AHEC was formed to fill a void in technology at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Jeff Weller with AHEC.
“Primarily, the media center,” Weller said. “As time went on and we started having some focus groups, we came to the understanding that one of the bigger problems was pre-K. AHEC has already bought new iPads for every student and now every classroom has smart boards.”
In realizing the need for pre-K classrooms, AHEC hired Novus Architects, an architecture and design firm out of Asheville, to do a planning study on the school. In the planning study, Novus outlined several objectives including providing pre-K services on campus, integrating Project Based Learning (PBL) curriculum and enhancements to CTE (Career Technical Education) curriculum.
According to the planning study, space needs at Highlands School are two pre-K classrooms at 1,200 square feet each, 36 students and a playground that is 2,700 square feet. For PBL and CTE, the planning study calls for labs/maker’s spaces added to the elementary, middle and high schools at 1,200 to 2,000 square feet each, more square footage in the media center and independent learning areas.
The new pre-K classrooms would be integrated into the elementary wing with long-term enrollment flexibility. There will be an adjacent playground area that is fenced in and landscaped/screened from car traffic.
For PBL, the plan says the media center needs to be expanded to incorporate independent work areas, flexible furnishings, PBL support, elementary literacy and an outdoor learning area that is fenced in and landscaped/screened from car traffic. The maker’s spaces will be an access for pre-K through 12th grade and have flexibility for varied activities. Roll-up doors will be used for an outdoor learning area and these outdoor learning areas will be expanded.
The new construction for 3,500 square feet would cost approximately $1,225,000. Renovations for 12,000 square feet would cost $1,875,000. An outdoor playground/learning area would cost $100,000 and contingency and yearly escalation at 10 and eight percent respectively, would cost $320,000 and $256,000 for a total $3,500,000.
With added on design fees, survey, testing, furniture, fixtures, equipment and technology, the studies project total cost is $4,400,000.
Lack of pre-K classes in Macon County
According to Macon County Schools pre-K director Brooke Keener, there are currently five pre-K classes in Macon County. Two at South Macon Elementary, two at Iotla Valley and one at Cartoogechaye.
“There is always more interest than there is space,” Keener said.
Macon County Superintendent Dr. Chris Baldwin said it all comes down to space.
“If we had more space at East Franklin, we would add pre-K classrooms at that school and that area of Macon County,” Baldwin said. “East Franklin is one of the high-need areas for support within our school district. We simply don’t have the space to add a pre-K classroom at that site. We hope to use some ESSER funding to alleviate that need, but we are still in the early processes of that.”
Baldwin said East Franklin suffered greatly during the pandemic due to social distancing.
“We had to convert closets into space for remediation, psychological services and many different needs,” Baldwin said. “They were using stairwells for tutoring. So, the idea of adding a pre-K classroom is out of the question.”
With the lack of socialization due to COVID-19, Keener said they are seeing an influx of students that are needing to be in developmental day classes, of which Macon County only has two.
“A lot of places in the community don’t have the correct staffing or resources to serve those families, so we really are called upon to meet these needs,” Keener said. “It is very hard with only four classrooms that are licensed for that. With our funding we also serve four year olds who meet certain requirements. About half of our classrooms have to be filled with those students. Cartoogechaye is the only one that has dropped their DD license because there are so many staff children that go there. We already put out applications last week and we are already full. We would love to see new classrooms come. I know that we are looking at one classroom at East Franklin, but I think we can do two. East Franklin is the only elementary school down here that doesn’t have that. I would love Highlands to have that, as well, but they have the same issue that we have down here, space.”
Baldwin said that pre-K in any school is a desperate need.
“The research is clear that opportunity leads to success later on,” Baldwin said. “What we see in Highlands, that is a desperate need that needs to be addressed. The overall plan that Novus and AHEC have worked together to approve the efficiency of that building in terms of space is something that is very exciting. We certainly appreciate AHEC’s interest in the community and we are excited about this opportunity.”
Keener said she hopes to talk with the county commissioners to express the need for this in the county.
“We are busting out of the seams everywhere,” Keener said. “We just have to have the infrastructure to turn these things into a reality. So, that partnership is vital for us.”
Baldwin agreed that is vital for Macon County’s children.
“There is a significant portion of pre-school children that are not being served right now,” Baldwin said. “Whether it’s through Head Start, pre-schools, daycares or pre-K, there are a lot of children that are falling through the cracks right now,” Baldwin said. “They are being unaccounted for.”
With Highlands School having a pre-K, Jetter said it would be a more seamless transition for these kids going into kindergarten.
“One of the biggest things these kids have to learn, and it takes them a while, is socialization,” Jetter said. “A lot of these kids are spending all day with mom, brother and sister and all of a sudden they are thrown into a classroom with 15 or 16 other kindergartners and it is a huge thing,” Jetter said. “Sometimes as adults, we have forgotten kindergarten. It was eye opening, we went there and realized we weren’t the center of the universe anymore. Those things, believe it or not, are really important. On top of that, you find if they have had pre-K, they come into kindergarten knowing colors, numbers, parents names and cell numbers. So, it’s just a huge leg up for the kids that have had preschool. For us, it is a hard thing to accept that we can’t have preschool because we don’t have the space. We ought to figure out some way to make that happen because all it does is help the children.”
What is next?
The proposal approved by the Macon County Board of Education will be sent to the Macon County Board of Commissioners for review. The next Board of Commissioners meeting is scheduled for March 8. Meetings are held in the boardroom on the third floor of the Macon County Courthouse, West Main Street in Franklin.