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SUMMIT, Miss. (AP) — A consultant is recommending the North Pike School District think about building more classrooms to handle the continuing influx of students.
The Enterprise-Journal reports (http://bit.ly/1zQ8Vr9 ) that Gary Bailey of Bailey Educational Group in Ridgeland told officials the system has seen 3 percent growth each of the past five years. He is predicting a 2 percent growth next year.
Bailey said the maximum number of students are in classrooms district-wide and there's little room for expansion.
He said the elementary school is seven classrooms short, the middle school is eight short and the high school 16 classrooms short.
"You've got to do everything needed to add more classrooms," Bailey said.
Bailey is suggesting the district build a K-2 elementary school or a new high school or a new middle school.
Baily said any one of those plans would cost millions of dollars but the district can't afford to stand still and wait.
Bailey said the school board should begin a capital funding account for building plans. And he suggested a bond issue would be the most reliable way to get money. The bond capacity for the district is $9.8 million.
The district's growth, he said, is causing stresses. Buildings have "massive needs," funding is at what he calls a very low level, and school accountability levels are stressed, in part, by monetary needs.
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Information from: Enterprise-Journal, http://www.enterprise-journal.com
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