OXFORD – With one capital project already in the works, Oxford’s school leaders have decided to move forward with the planning process for a second, larger scale capital project – one which they hope will meet the long-term facility and program goals of the district.
MOnday night, the district’s board of education established an aggressive timeline for the process, scheduling five workshops over the next month and a half to tackle the “Phase II” project.
According to Board President Robin DeBrita, the goal will be to make as much progress as possible before the board turns its attention to building the district’s 2010/2011 budget.
“We’ve got a lot we’re juggling right now,” she said.
The workshop meetings have been scheduled for Monday, Jan 18; Monday, Jan. 25; Tuesday, Jan. 26; Monday, Feb. 1; and Monday, Feb. 22. Each will be held at 6 p.m. in the Primary School Multipurpose Room.
“It’s a public meeting, so everybody can come,” the board president said. Only certain individuals in addition to the school board will have a voice in the matter, however. According to Superintendent Randy Squier, the facility advisory committee will not be reconvened, but rather several community members and district staff members will be invited to join the discussion. John Weidman, Fred Lanfear and former school board member Mark Roach have already agreed to participate, Squier reported.
In preparation for the first meeting, which will be held next Monday, DeBrita directed the board to review documents pertaining to the capital project planning process which remain posted to the district’s website.
“There were things we learned all through the process,” she said, explaining that she hopes to use the knowledge they gained during those discussions in order to make the process smoother this time around.
Squier has suggested bringing in a former superintendent from outside the district – one with no connection to the school – to facilitate the first meeting “to get the process started,” an idea to which the board agreed.
When one member of the board questioned moving forward with the project in light of rumors that the State Education Department’s EXCEL building aid, which they plan to utilize to cover the local share of the project, could be taken off the table, Squier reminded them to focus on what they are trying to accomplish.
According to the superintendent, the first thing the board needs to be “clear on” is why they are undertaking the project.
“You have a responsibility,” he told them, to make sure the district’s facilities meet program goals now and in the future. That includes discussing “messy” long-term issues like declining enrollment, staffing and grade configuration, he explained.
“Even if the EXCEL aid does get pulled, you don’t have to give up those goals,” Squier said. “It’s more than just a project, it’s the planning. ... The first step is to be able to say why.”
Documents related to the building project can be accessed at www.oxac.org, by selecting the Facilities tab under the Departments heading.