Growth issue leads at retreat

Staff

Published Friday, May 30, 2003

Suffolk News-Herald

As construction moves ahead on King's Fork High School, officials are looking ahead to figure out how to best accommodate estimated student growth of 400-600 students annually.

During the School Board's annual retreat in Chesapeake on Thursday, Superintendent Dr. Milton Liverman told board members that student population is projected to grow from 4 to 5 percent annually. With 12,800 students enrolled this year, he said enrollment would easily exceed 13,000 next year.

"I'd hoped never to buy more mobile units," Liverman said. Five were added to the 2003-2004 budget to deal with existing growth, he said.

"We will have to deploy them. We need more seats in northern area of the city right now."

Over the past year, James D. Thorsen Jr., executive director of facilities and planning, has analyzed student enrollment data from the past decade to project school population growth trends. His department is refining new formulas for calculating student capacities for each building.

"Major differences" exist in how the city and the schools determine occupancy levels, Thorsen said. City officials calculate it based on square footage per pupil, he added.

"They don't use the same building capacity figures we do," he said. "That's a real problem."

The city is about to update the 2018 Comprehensive Plan and its growth management document, the Unified Development Ordinance, Thorsen said. City leaders have indicated that a representative from Suffolk Public Schools would be asked for input once the review is under way.

As far as other capital projects, Thorsen said:

-- An engineering firm has been hired to do a preliminary site analysis on a prospective site for a new elementary school in northern Suffolk;

-- Construction on King's Fork High School is about one month behind schedule, partially due to inclement weather. The contractors, S.P. Ballard Construction Co., have not requested a schedule extension on the $41.4 million, 1,800-student building slated to open in September 2004.

-- The private developer renovating the Professional Building expects the building will be ready for the school system administrator to move in by Dec. 15;

Also discussed at the retreat:

Final discussion of the school system's $102 million budget, which is giving teachers an average 5 percent raise and most support personnel an average 4.5 percent raise.

One exception is some teacher assistants, who will be reaping the benefits of a new pay scale that differentiates between teacher assistants and highly qualified teacher assists.

Some highly qualified teacher assistants will receive raises as high as 19 percent, he said.

Liverman said his goal is to develop a pay scale that pays a highly qualified teacher assistant about half the starting salary of a teacher.

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