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When another school year begins Monday in the Benton School District, the focus, of course, will be on providing the best possible education for the students.
But that’s not the only area of attention.  BENTON HIGH SCHOOL, which was built in the early 1950s, will have a completely new look when the school district completes a major facilities project that was made possible by the passage of a millage increase earlier this year. (Rendering courtesy of Taggar Foster Currence Gray Architects Inc.)
Just about anyone connected with the district — from students to teachers to administrators to parents — has an eye on facilities improvements.
Because of a spring millage increase of 6.5 mills, major construction is in the offing for the district.
Five major projects are planned, not the least of which is the expansion and remodeling of the existing high school campus.
Tony Prothro, superintendent, said the high school is possibly the most exciting project in the district.
“Most of the existing high school that was built in the 1950s will be demolished and replaced with new and updated classrooms and equipment to supplement the newly constructed science/technology building and the band/choir building,” Prothro said.
The school will have an entirely new look, but will remain in the same location.
The additional millage within itself is expected to generate around $28.6 million, but that’s not all the money the successful millage campaign is bringing into the district, Prothro noted.
Because the state now is encouraging facilities improvements, additional funding is being made available to districts that convinced voters to support their schools through the increased tax base.
The district must apply for the additional funds, but, so far, the results are positive in most cases, Prothro said.
“We keep finding more money that enables us to do more things, and that’s what we want to do,” he said.
In at least one incident, reapplication for funding has been necessary, but that’s OK, the superintendent said. “We just back up and do it again, and then maybe we’ll get what we need to for particular projects,” he said.
As an example, he mentioned the planned air conditioning of the high school arena.
“Initially, [the state] turned us down on funding for that because they were looking at it as strictly for basketball. But most of the hours of the day, the arena is used for physical education classes and that’s considered academic, so we’ve reapplied and hope that it will work out this time.”
He estimated that the district will receive “around $13 million” in additional funding from the state, though the amount actually could turn out to be more, he said.
“It’s a slow process, but it’s important that we do it right so that we can get the most money to do the most good,” he said.
As part of the high school renovation, the cafeteria will be expanded to provide for a growing student body, Prothro said.
Additional parking — another increasing need — also will be addressed along with the high school expansion, he said.
Not to be overlooked is Benton Junior High School, which also is scheduled for a remodeling project that will “modernize the existing structure for increased efficiency and optimal learning environment,” Prothro said.
The junior high school will be getting a new band room to accommodate the needs of the student body, he pointed out.
A third major project the district will take on will be improvements to the middle school, Prothro said.
“The mIddle school has a need for additional student learning spaces,” he said, and four additional classrooms will be added.
All of the district’s four elementary school will receive new multipurpose buildings, Prothro said. “Each will contain large physical education facilities and these structures also will house new music and art classrooms,” he said.
While most of the district’s improvement project focus is on academic facilities, some attention will be given to expanding athletic facilities, Prothro noted.
“The girls softball field is the first item to be completed in the new athletic complex,” he said. “A new track and soccer field are next slated for construction after the softball field completion.”
For some time, the district has faced a Title 9 complaint about providing equal facilities for its girls softball program. There is a relatively new boys baseball field, but the girls did not have their own facility.
The new athletic facility will have “easy access” from Hoover Street and the newly completed Benton Parkway, Prothro said.
The facility also will include extensive parking areas for athletes and spectators.
Not only are structural changes in the works for the district, technology also is being enhanced with the additional funding generated by the additional millage, Prothro noted.
In regard to the academic focus of the millage election, he mentioned that the district will be building a distance learning lab that will provide for enriched offerings not presently available at the high school.
“These may include criminal law, additional foreign language course offerings and other courses dependent upon student interests,” he said.
“The lab will be an avenue for enhanced learning for students,” he said.
“A global perspective will become available for Benton High School students to place them on a more competitive footing with the rest of the world. Students can view and interact with students, teachers and presenters from all over the world.
Also, students can view and interact with students, teachers and presenters from all over the world, Prothro pointed out.
“The lab can be used by all grade levels within the Benton School District as opportunities for a look outside our city, state, and nation, and it will allow increased professional development opportunities for Benton staff members.
“Nationally recognized presenters constantly provide access through distance learning,” he said.
Liberal arts enhancement will be facilitated through the district’s additional funding, Prothro said.
“The multipurpose buildings on elementary campuses will provide modern classroom space for art and music instruction,” he said. “The classrooms will be constructed to facilitate the student activities present in liberal arts instruction.”
The junior high school will acquire a new band room, he said.
“Band and choir students currently share a small room, and the addition of the band room will allow for flexibility in scheduling and a modern forum for skill enhancement.”
Foreign language labs will be incorporated into the high school construction,” Prothro noted. “These labs will provide for targeted instruction and increased student learning.”
The new high school addition will be equipped with the latest technology, he said. “Tools such as Smartboards and Elmos will provide instruction to an advanced technology-literate student body.
Physical education opportunities also will be enhanced, he said.
“The state and nation have a focus on children’s health and childhood obesity in particular,” he said. “The addition of P.E. facilities will provide a large environment for students to engage in lifelong physical fitness skills. “It will also help to increase physical activity by providing a space for recess in times of bad weather. The addition of the physical education facilities will free academic classroom space for overcrowding and future growth.”
Prothro said he is looking forward to an exciting year in the Benton district. Enrollment appears to be on the increase, but this won’t be known fully until after Labor Day, he said.
“We know from experience that some students don’t enroll until after that holiday,” he said. “We know we were up from last year at the end of the year, but we don’t know about students who have moved away, nor do we know which students have moved into the district.
“We do know we’re scheduled to get more than 30 new students through the state’s school choice law.”
The mood was positive Tuesday when the district’s approximately 500 employees gathered for the opening employee luncheon and awards recognition program, where various honors were announced including the Teacher of the Year and the Classified Employee of the Year, the first year for this honor.
Receiving this recognition were April Counts, an English teacher who retired from Benton High School at the close of the 2007-08 term, and Ernie Weems, an employee in the district’s maintenance department.
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