The Bartlett City Schools district adopted the proposed master plan for Bartlett High School on Thursday night. The school board also named Fleming Architects in Memphis as the project’s architect of record.
The full two-volume master plan is being posted on the school district’s website for the high school renovations, builtforbartlett.com.
The project, estimated at $55-$60 million, will expand and renovate the high school campus to accommodate student body growth up to a total of 2,250 students in grades 10-12, and it will keep the 9th Grade Academy at its current location.
Bartlett Mayor Keith McDonald has proposed a $0.35 property tax increase to provide additional funding to fire, police and schools, with $0.14 of that amount designated for the high school renovation. BCS Superintendent David Stephens estimated the 14-cent property tax increase designated for the high school would cost the average family about the same as a meal out each month.
Project funding includes a possible contribution of up to $8 million from the city’s reserves and bond/debt proceeds estimated to generate approximately $44 million. The school district will contribute $6-$10 million for furniture, fixtures and equipment.
The total annual amount to service the 20-year debt is about $3.5 million, with $1 million coming from the school district’s operating budget, $1 million in local option sales tax revenues and $1.5 million from the proposed $0.14 property tax increase.
The Bartlett mayor and board of aldermen passed the city’s budget containing BHS renovation funding on its second reading on May 23. The final reading will be June 13.
Scott Fleming, an architect and principal at Fleming Architects, thanked the superintendent and board for their trust in his firm. He said that the master plan includes all the background data supporting the master plan, including the initial assessments, survey results from the public and the students, and more.
All attending school board members voted for the master plan and for the architect of record. Board chairman Jeff Norris was absent.
Other board business
The board also approved:
- The 2018-2019 Bartlett City Schools Instructional Calendar
- The Coordinated School Health District application and a related addendum, which allow the district to get some state funds for the Coordinated School Health position
- The awarding of a contract painting bid to Matthews Painting: Altruria Elementary, $41,200; and Ellendale Elementary, $49,000
- The awarding of a bid to Fossett Paving to repave Bartlett Elementary, $151,612.75, and do asphalt patching at Bon Lin Elementary, $31,450
- The awarding of the bid for front drive paving at Oak Elementary to Pollan Paving, $36,688
- The awarding of the bid for custodial services at Bartlett High School, Altruria Elementary, Elmore Park Middle and Central Office to ABM for $34,949.47 monthly
- The awarding of the bid for custodial services at Oak Elementary, Appling Middle, Bon Lin Elementary and Bon Lin Middle to Parcou for $36,631.24 monthly
- The awarding of the bid for custodial services at Ninth Grade Academy, Ellendale Elementary, Rivercrest Elementary and Bartlett Elementary to American Facility Services for $35,017.51 monthly
- The creation of a separate booster club for the high school girls’ lacrosse team
- Changes to some wording in the board’s insurance management policy. There is a new paragraph about life insurance in the section about retirees who were hired directly from Shelby County Schools before Aug. 4, 2014, and those hired between Jan. 1, 2014, and June 30, 2014: “Life insurance shall be continued at 1 time annual earning to cap at $50,000 meeting the above requirements. This benefit is paid 100% by the board.” There was also another small wording change related to this point.
- A memorandum of understanding (MOU) allowing the Tennessee College of Applied Technology in Memphis to hold night classes in advanced manufacturing at the high school. The purpose is to maximize use of equipment in the school’s technology lab and to support graduates and other community members who want further training in this area.
- An MOU with Southwest Tennessee Community College to meet the educational needs of students who don’t quite meet the University of Memphis’s dual enrollment requirement of a 21 on the ACT. This will give students with slightly lower
- ACT scores a chance to get some college credits while still in high school.
- An MOU with the City of Bartlett about the city’s leasing of Apple equipment for the school district’s use. (By law, the district is prohibited from entering into such agreements, so the city does it on the district’s behalf.) Over this summer, this will allow teachers to trade in their three-year-old laptops that are starting to show their age but which still have value. They will receive new MacBook Pros with more RAM and solid-state hard drives at a special price. The cost will be an increase of about $300 more per device.
- A General Fund Budget amendment to transfer funds for this summer’s work projects at BCS schools
- The district’s 5 Year Capital Improvement Plan
- The form that board members use to evaluate the superintendent’s performance. The collated feedback is expected to be included in the school board’s June business meeting.
- Revisions to the district’s wellness policy (Policy 6052).
