A sign outside of Bridge Elementary School in Kanawha County following the June 2016 flood. Gazette-Mail file photo.
By: Ryan Quinn, Staff Writer | Posted: Mar. 5, 2018 | Source: WV Gazette-Mail
The Kanawha County Board of Education Monday chose 5:30 p.m. April 9 as the time for a public hearing on the proposed closure and consolidation of Bridge Elementary into the planned new school that would combine Bridge and Clendenin elementaries.
School board President Jim Crawford said the hearing will be at the Kanawha public school system headquarters, 200 Elizabeth St., on Charleston’s East End. The alternative time if April 9 falls through is 5 p.m. April 19.
Clendenin Elementary’s former building was shuttered after being damaged in the June 2016 flood.
Crawford said the school system is moving as fast as it can on building the new school.
The board also approved asking the state School Building Authority for funding to replace all the windows at Horace Mann Middle, save for a couple that have already been replaced, according to school system Communications Director Briana Warner.
Each year, county school systems request “major improvement project” grants, which can be up to $1 million.
The SBA’s “needs” grants can be over $1 million, and are awarded near the end of each year.
The board also approved three new high school elective courses: “Art History 2,” “English Concepts Through Different Mediums” and “Music Technology.”
Missy Ruddle, Kanawha’s assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, said she expects the courses will only be at individual schools next school year (music technology will be at South Charleston High, for example) but they could spread to other schools.
“They’re all completely electives,” Ruddle said.
Reach Ryan Quinn at ryan.quinn@wvgazettemail.com, facebook.com/ryanedwinquinn, 304-348-1254 or follow @RyanEQuinn on Twitter.
