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It appears Maryville High School will be getting a major face-lift.

Director of Schools Mike Dalton made a recommendation to the school board Monday to expand the high school at its current location. But he wants to minimize the impact on the neighborhood and to limit the size to no more than 2,200 students.

The school board took no action on Dalton’s recommendation because it was a work session, but set a called meeting for Oct. 16.

Earlier this summer, Johnson Architecture Inc. presented five proposals addressing the high school situation. Within the last month, the school system has hosted public forums for community comments on the fate of the high school and a master facilities plan.

Information has also been collected via the system’s Web site and questions posed by the architects.

Director of Communications Sharon Anglim compiled an inch-thick notebook of the data and shared that information with the board.

One of the questions asked by the architects was about the options for the high school. Respondents had the choice of building a new high school on another site, constructing a second high school or renovating/expanding the current facility.

The first choice received 27.89 percent approval, the second choice 18.99 percent and the third choice 53.12 percent.

Dalton said deciding what to do with the high school, which has had several renovations in the past, is a tough problem.

The high school is a unifying force in the community, and many of the responses said that there should only be one high school, he said.

“It’s pretty clear that people like the idea of having a common experience,” Dalton said.

One aspect that needs to be considered is how big is too big, he said, adding that the high school staff spent a lot of time researching how the school’s educational program should be.

A better transitioning program for ninth-graders is being developed.

Dalton described what he believes makes a successful school. A facility that makes people feel comfortable and safe, a climate that promotes education and good teachers to engage the students.

The school could be expanded to 2,200 students, but some programs could be moved to other sites. The high school facility could be a central campus with satellite sites in other locations, he said.

As the city grows, the system could consider a lower and upper high school and separate the grades to two different facilities. A number of possibilities exist, he said.

In expanding the high school, he said the amount of property purchased to make this happen needs to be limited, and the traffic flow needs to be corrected to have less impact on the neighborhood, he said.

His recommendation is based in part on financial concerns because the school system has to build a school for the lower grades.

“Cost is always a factor,” he said.

The acreage needed for a high school of 3,000 students is not readily available and would probably have to be built outside the city. The sense of ownership would not be the same, he said.

Barry Brooke, of Lawler-Wood LLC, told board members, if they decide to go this route, then they need to plan to use the school for a long time. Increasing the school’s core areas will be a substantial cost and will be an investment, said Brooke, who is the project manager.

A 2,200 high school would take the school to the year 2020-2021.

Daryl Johnson, president of Johnson Architecture, said his firm could develop options based on Dalton’s recommendation within about three or four weeks. One of the five options developed by Johnson is to renovate the high school for 2,200 students but that would take 12-20 properties.

The school board is planning to vote on the issue at the called meeting. Johnson will also present a draft of the master facilities plan for the board to review.

Short-term solutions

In addition to the high school, Dalton made several recommendations for short-term fixes to overcrowding in the elementary grades until a new school can be built.

Next school year, the preschools at John Sevier and Sam Houston Elementary schools will be moved to Fort Craig School of Dynamic Learning to reduce their burdens.

Two preschool classes from Foothills Elementary School will be moved to Maryville Intermediate School to provide extra space at the elementary level.

At Sam Houston Elementary School where the auditorium’s stage is being used for storage, Dalton recommended that a portable building be added onto the school’s property to accommodate two classrooms.

Dalton said this short-term solution would have to be approved by City Council, but
could possibly be in place after the Christmas holidays.