Home Lakeland Schools Lakeland School Board Work Session: Initial Timeline for High School Discussed

Lakeland School Board Work Session: Initial Timeline for High School Discussed

by Anna Smith

Anna Smith

Vice-Chairman, Laura Harrison called the work session to order at 5:45pm, as Chairman Kevin Floyd was absent for this evening’s meeting.

After routine board business, such as Chairman’s Welcome and approval of last meeting’s minutes, Superintendent Ted Horrell did most of the presenting.

In Dr. Horrell’s report, he addressed the new high school to be built in Lakeland. He said he is pleased the city has approved funding the school. Conversations about securing the USDA loan have begun and he wants it to be clear, “This project… is the kind of thing their program (USDA loan) is built for. It’s pretty straight forward. We’ve got the money available.”

The goal is to have the application phase of this process completed by October 1, 2019. That is the beginning of the fiscal year. No money will be available before that point. The application process may be finished before the October 1st deadline, but as of today, that is the goal.

A later question by board member Teresa Henry to clarify how the October application may affect the opening date of the school lead Dr. Horrell to say, “If I were pressed, I would say the likely opening date would be 2022… It is possible it could be moved up”. The school board has said for a while, the construction will take 18-24 months. After the October 2019 application, it will put opening day for a Lakeland high school, most likely in August of 2022. Ms. Henry added, she would rather set a goal of 2022, than to give false hope of an earlier opening.

In addition to future construction, Dr. Horrell spoke on the current construction taking place within the Lakeland School System. Loud speakers are being installed tomorrow (Tuesday) at the LMPS football field. Construction of the bleacher pad is underway. “Soon, the field at LMPS will be able to seat 1,000, raising the spectator experience to the level of the student-athlete experience at our middle school”, remarked Dr. Horrell. LES is still in the midst of construction of additional classrooms. It will be down to the wire to finish the work by the first day of school this year.

Teachers have been busy this summer working on curriculum guides. As of today, all general education teaching positions have been filled, according to Dr. Horrell. However, new positions do often come available as the school year begins again.

There was discussion lead by Dr. Horrell of the LSS protected reading list (click here). This is a list of books teachers from each grade have decided to teach and asks other grades to refrain from teaching, avoiding some students being taught the same curriculum year after year. “This list is not to be mistaken for the only books to be read”, Dr. Horrell stated, “rather, it is a guide for teachers to follow.”

There has been an update to the instructional calendar for this year. There is a change in the way the state allows days to be counted. However, no additional days were required to be added. A change for the 2020/21 school year will include both schools having off for Veterans Day.

Due to the Independence Day holiday, the school board will meet for a business meeting on Monday, July 1st and will cancel any meeting for July 8th.

Dr. Horrell said he hopes to hear more about the Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Lakeland by next week.

The meeting adjourned at 6:03pm.