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photo by Ben Hillyer
Frazier Elementary physical education instructors Hope Hubbard and Kathy Graning direct a group of first graders from the school’s mobile classroom. The school uses the classroom instead of gym.
District gets A for maintenance, but needs new buildings
Published Thursday, December 20, 2007
NATCHEZ — On average, school buildings in the Natchez-Adams School District are half a century old.
The newest of the six schools housing grades kindergarten through 12th grade is Frazier Primary, which is 43 years old. The oldest is McLaurin Elementary, which is 54 years old.
The buildings have been patched, partially rewired, painted and re-roofed several times over in some cases.
Photo by Ben Hillyer
Students exercising walk past a poster taped to the classroom’s panel walls.
And the district’s efforts in making old buildings work is something of which they are proud. In fact, building maintenance was praised in the report issued by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools recent accreditation report.
But the buildings aren’t getting any younger, and good maintenance can only go so far.
Administrators know that soon the challenge has to move from maintaining old buildings to funding new ones, but they don’t have a plan they think will work just yet.
Building a new school would take a bond issue, Superintendent Anthony Morris said. And that means higher taxes.
“Before we start considering any buildings, you have to investigate the community environment,” Morris said. “The first thing that’s going to be said is, ‘That’s going to raise my taxes and I don’t want taxes raised.’”
Morris said he feels certain the community would not embrace a bond issue right now, despite the need.
“A bond issue is somewhere out in the future,” he said. “For now, we need to study community perception of the idea.”
The need
Kathy Graning teaches one of nine classes at Frazier Primary that meets in a hardly glorified trailer.
And though the mobile units serve their purpose for most teachers, it is what Graning teaches that makes her situation a sticky one.
The children call her Coach Graning and her mobile unit is the PE classroom.
At times up to 50 students pack into the mobile unit, which is shared by the other PE teacher Hope Hubbard.
They mostly just do walking exercises in the mobile unit, since skipping and jumping tend to make the whole classroom move a bit.
“We make it work,” Graning said. “There are some things that are harder to play than others. My main problem is that second graders are a bit bigger, so we have to find something where they don’t have to move around.”
Graning tries to take the students outdoors as much as possible, but her dream would be to have a small multipurpose room added on to the school. It doesn’t have to be a full-size gym for primary students, she said, but something with a rubber floor and room to run.
Frazier is full. The school is the most overcrowded in the district, and the available building space has affected class sizes. Morris said he would like to reduce class sizes, but cannot because more rooms to add teachers and open new classes are not available.
The dream plan
If the money was there, Natchez High School would be the first building to see major change, Morris said.
The current facility is a difficult physical plant to manage, he said, and he’d like to start from scratch.
The high school is composed of many pods of classrooms that all open to the outside. It doesn’t have hallways or any central space. Corners at every turn make it difficult to secure, since administrators cannot see what may be around the bend.
Natchez High is one of the newer district buildings, at 46 years old, but it doesn’t work as a modern-day high school, Morris said.
But NHS and the others will keep doing the job, at least in the short term, administrators said.
“Even though they are old, we’ve maintained them pretty well,” Director of Operations Wayne Barnett said. “We can get some more years out of them.”
Barnett and his staff work to visit schools and survey potential problems before they become disasters. Principals are responsible for notifying him of maintenance issues, and for the most part, the system works, he said.
“A school is just like a house,” he said. “At home if you never spend any money on your home, it’ll get rundown. You have to constantly be doing little things along the way.
“If you postpone maintenance because you don’t have money it all catches up to you at one time.”
Sooner or later
But the district needs a plan for the future, Barnett said.
“Sooner or later we are going to have to bite the bullet and build a new school, he said.
“When you compare our facilities, there are other towns that have old schools like we do, but some that have new ones that make you envious.”
The challenge for the district is both new and old. The old buildings must be maintained, but in the future, new construction must come, Barnett said.
“You can’t go on forever. For the near future what we have is going to work,” he said.
“But I’d like to see the community say it’s time, we need to start making the plans for a new school. We need to make that decision now.”
Planning a school takes four or five years at least, Barnett said. If the community doesn’t start talking now, it may be another decade before any construction work begins.
“Our kids deserve a new school,” Barnett said.
Comments
Posted by ntzmom (anonymous) on December 20, 2007 at 12:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I am for it, but only if it is a nagnet school. A high tech, college prep public school that has zero tolerence for fights, drugs ect...
If they accept the best students that seriously are there to learn...if we can have that then by all means lets do it!
It can be pre k through 12th grade...enrollment wouldn't be too high so they can accomadate the ones that really want an education.
Leave the druggies, the fighters, the classroom clowns ect at the old schools.
It's only fair.
Posted by ntzmom (anonymous) on December 20, 2007 at 5:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I meant MAGNET school!
Posted by NtzMom55 (anonymous) on December 20, 2007 at 6:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)
There is no way I would vote in an additional tax for new schools in Natchez until the school board and upper level administration decide that the discipline problems issues will be handled swiftly and harshly. Too much is let slide. Parents have got to be held accountable for their child's negative actions and they must own up to their responsibilities. Students must also be held responsible for their negative actions and the administration must do its job in dealing with these issues. Discipline problems and inappropriate inactions coming from the school system is eroding the educational opportunities in Natchez more than any old building ever could. Students and parents are getting away with "murder" in these schools and too many well deserving students are falling into the cracks or leaving the schools (and Natchez). Too much politics and inaction. Just look at the recent statistics and trends for proof. Natchez needs a school board and upper level administration that is going to stand firm and solid on the issues of discipline and parental/student accountability.
Posted by roberth33 (anonymous) on December 20, 2007 at 7:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Name names. Which students are behaving this way? What specifically are they doing?
Posted by darlysings (anonymous) on December 20, 2007 at 8:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I posted this comment in another spot as well, but again I must say this....
It saddens me to see that so many people automatically think such negative things towards the public schools here. The past two surveys are literally heartbreaking!!! How will things EVER get any better if no one supports these kids? Yes, there are SOME bad situations. For those of you who think it is so terrible... Why don't you take an hour or two and visit a public school. Talk to the kids and find out what they think.... Believe me... they will tell you! Tell the teachers that you are behind them. In case you didn't know, these students are the future of this community. Both public school and private! The responsibility cant lie on the teachers and schools alone.... THE WHOLE COMMUNITY needs to take action. Again, I say that I am most discouraged as a teacher to know that the community that I grew up in, WENT TO SCHOOL IN, and now work in totally disrespects the fact that I wake up every morning and go to my job (which consequently is a public school) and works with many students every day. I love me career, and I love my students. Even the ones with a few discipline problems; and my students know I love them. Instead of pointing fingers and laying blame, do something, work with these educators, and let's help these kids move forward!!!
Posted by gplferone3 (anonymous) on December 20, 2007 at 9:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)
What about kids that are moved forward each year that don't have passing grades????Just one of the MANY things wrong with public schools......
Posted by ntzmom (anonymous) on December 20, 2007 at 9:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)
About Magnet schools:
Specific achievements in Magnet Schools include: improved academic achievement; diverse student enrollments; higher attendance rates, graduation rates, and lower drop-out rates. Magnet schools boast more parental involvement, more personalization through theme-based education, and specialized programs providing a sense of a safer environment for learning. Teachers are better prepared through planned professional development
Posted by darlysings (anonymous) on December 20, 2007 at 9:32 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I never said that things were perfect.... Things do need to be improved... but I was talking about the perception of the schools by the community. This is your community, at least those of us who actually live here. I was just saying that I would like to see the community SUPPORTING and helping rather than constantly condemning! We've all heard the MANY things that is wrong with public schools.... Why can't the community help be a part of the solution instead of watching them sink!
Posted by beammeupscotty (anonymous) on December 20, 2007 at 2:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It is time to let private corporations run the education system in America. We spend $30,000 dollars a year for a prisioner to sit in jail and only $5,000 dollars a year to educate a child. If education were a business the results would be better.
Posted by 95kidd (Rakeem Davis) on December 20, 2007 at 3:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)
YOU ALL ARE PAYING MORE FOR CIGARETTES IN YOUR TAXES. SO WHY NOT PAY MORE FOR NEW SCHOOLS. BUT IF YOU LOOK AT IT ANOTHER WAY IF THE SCHOOLS WERE MOVED BACK THE WAY THEY WERE MAYBE FRAZIER WOULDN'T BE SO CRAMPED. BECAUSE IT DON'T MAKE NO SENSE FOR YOU TO BE TALKING ABOUT YOU HAVE A CRAMPED SCHOOL WHEN YOU HAVE 2 SCHOOLS THAT ARE CAPABLE OF HOLDING 5 GRADE LEVELS THAT ARE ONLY HOLDING 2. SO BEFORE THEY START TALKING ABOUT THE SCHOOL BEING CRAMPED. THEY NEED TO LOOK BACK AND MAYBE THEY WILL REALIZE THAT IT IS THERE PROBLEM THAT THEY ARE CRAMPED
Posted by peacerulz (anonymous) on December 20, 2007 at 5:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
beammeupscotty's prob right.
Posted by NtzMom55 (anonymous) on December 21, 2007 at 5:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It makes no sense to me for an entire county/city to send all of its students in two grades to one school. Very young children have to ride a bus from so early in the morning just to get to their elementary school about 25 miles away for some. The way the schools are set up now with all pre-k and K at West Elem., 1st and 2nd at Frazier Elem., 3rd and 4th at McLaurin Elem., 5th and 6th at Morgantown Elem. is rediculous. Children ride the buses for extended periods of time and for many miles just to satisfy bureaucracy. And talk about a waste of gasoline!! With the discipline problems facing our public schools, we should concentrate on smaller neighborhood type of schools. I firmly believe that smaller schools would have much more parental support if the enrollments were smaller, making everyone feel like they belonged rather than just being another number. It is rediculous to have 350 students per grade in such a small community like Natchez. The school board and upper level administration do not have the best interest at heart when it comes to serving the community.
Posted by snancy18 (anonymous) on December 21, 2007 at 2:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I agree completely that smaller schools are the key. My daughter graduated from Natchez High - she attended private school through the 10th grade and then went on to Natchez High. Because of the great teachers at NHS, she scored a 26 on her ACT. Public schools have much to offer: technology, good teachers, etc. We need to support our public school system. I find it offensive that Britt Gibson ran for public office and then has the nerve to say that he has nothing to do with the public school system. Even if we do not have children in the public schools, we sill owe it to our community to support it. Yes, yes, yes, smaller schools and magnet schools and yes, yes, yes to discipline.
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