On Monday night, school administrators helped school board members visualize a Brandywine High School where a spacious community center hosts an array of sports practices and is an available space for the community to host events or teach class.
The proposed community center was one of a number of project proposals presented to the board. Many of the projects fell under infrastructure improvements and could therefore be supported by the sinking fund, while freeing up funds for other initiatives, said Superintendent John Jarpe.
Jarpe helped to lead the presentation, with the help of administrators to show where the Brandywine schools needed improvements and the presentation.
The presentation was intended to suggest ways student and faculty life could be greatly improved.
This was the first public presentation of the proposals and there were no estimated costs associated with the projects at this time. Moving forward, Jarpe said he would work with the staff to determine individual project cost estimates and prioritize projects.
Some of the infrastructure projects that would likely be supported by the sinking fund, which has been projected to garner $288,000 annually, could include replacing the middle/high school roof. Installed in 2003, the roof has recently been leaking in the gym region of the school.
Another proposal that would likely use sinking fund money would be installing an entrance and exit drive at the middle/high school. The project would include widening a portion of the exit road from the parking lot so that in case of emergency, authorities could get through. In addition, the hope is that a wider drive would lessen the traffic bottle necking that occurs during high traffic times.
The proposed community center could partially be covered by sinking fund costs. The community center could alleviate the overcrowded gym at the Brandywine Middle/High School and make for a less complicated practice schedule for many students who want to participate in after school sports. A slide in the presentation showed a projection of the building and where it would stand, at the far end of the middle/high school parking lot, where the former tennis courts used to be.
“You can have enough space for an indoor track,” said Brandywine middle and high school Athletic Director Vance Stratton. “You have enough space for indoor tennis. These are all types of things that you can do with a facility like this.”
With hundreds of students enrolled in sports, Stratton said sports teams are always fighting for a time slot in the gym and it sometimes means that some students have to attend practice later than convenient.
Another benefit that he cited was having a building that is not just for students but also for the whole community. The building would have accessible and retractable bleachers, as well as ample room for activities, potentially including community fitness classes.
“This is how you seal your community together,” Stratton said. “This type of facility is what brings your community together. It is something that the community is going to be able to use as well.”
Such costs covered by the sinking fund could free up money for curriculum improvements, Jarpe said. The proposal for curriculum advancements included implementing staff guidance instruction, interpreting assessment data to provide for a method of instruction improvement and professional development. Such curriculum improvements could partially be covered by grant funds.
Jarpe said with some of the teachers and staff reaching retirement age, a program like this could be especially beneficial to new teachers who might need some mentoring.
“So we are looking to the future on a lot of this,” Jarpe said.
Another proposal was looking at ways to aid the fine arts program. Following the recent wrap-up of “Shrek: The Musical,” Brandywine Elementary principal Jim Boger identified regular challenges the fine arts department has faced as a growing number of students want to participate in productions that all take place on the stage at Brandywine Elementary.
To aid the fine arts program, Boger proposed replacing the current black lights to LED lights and buying more microphones for an improved sound system.
The presentation wrapped with Jarpe letting board members and staff know that plans would be in the works to discuss logistics including costs and priorities, which would be discussed with the board of education. He said that he would be keeping the public informed as decisions were made.
“You probably picked up from just listening to the administrators tonight, this is an exciting time for Brandywine,” Jarpe said. “This is an exciting time for us to be really moving ahead with the district. I want to see it get started and moving in the right direction.”