Spring Break
Fayetteville High School future on one campus
Jaclyn Johnson
Issue date: 3/8/07 Section: News
Fayetteville High School has long been stretching at the seams at the current campus. With the student population already close to 2,000, and growing at 2 percent each year, expansion is an imminent necessity, said Alan Wilbourn, director of school/ community relations.
The Fayetteville School Board decided in a 4-3 vote Feb. 22 that the high school would remain as one school, instead of splitting it into two separate schools.
The FHS Select Committee proposed the one-school configuration as well as expanding the school to include the ninth grade. The board has yet to decide whether to make the school grades 9 to 12 because they need more information, said Susan Heil, school board member.
At the same meeting the board approved the motion to have the school and its properties appraised and to see whether there were any interested buyers.
The student growth rate, the effect of splitting the community, reduction of curricular and extra-curricular activities, and the move from a 7A to 6A class in athletics were all factors in the decision, Heil said.
If two schools were built, certain classes, mostly Advanced Placement (AP) courses with small enrollment numbers, would most likely not be offered. A move into the 6A category would also mean significantly longer trips for athletes, she said.
As a result of having one school, the same quality of education would be available to everyone, said Steve Percival, school board president. The new school is planned to be a "21st century kind of school," he said, and it will be much more efficient than two separate schools.
Some board members did not have enough time to consider each option, thus some reluctance was shown by the three votes against the proposal, Heil said. Some also wanted a specific maximum capacity for one school and when increased enrollment would force Fayetteville to go to two high schools.
The ideal size for a high school for optimum academics would be 600 to 900 students, as determined by a study conducted by Valerie Lee of the University of Michigan and Julia Smith of Oakland University.
The Fayetteville School Board decided in a 4-3 vote Feb. 22 that the high school would remain as one school, instead of splitting it into two separate schools.
The FHS Select Committee proposed the one-school configuration as well as expanding the school to include the ninth grade. The board has yet to decide whether to make the school grades 9 to 12 because they need more information, said Susan Heil, school board member.
At the same meeting the board approved the motion to have the school and its properties appraised and to see whether there were any interested buyers.
The student growth rate, the effect of splitting the community, reduction of curricular and extra-curricular activities, and the move from a 7A to 6A class in athletics were all factors in the decision, Heil said.
If two schools were built, certain classes, mostly Advanced Placement (AP) courses with small enrollment numbers, would most likely not be offered. A move into the 6A category would also mean significantly longer trips for athletes, she said.
As a result of having one school, the same quality of education would be available to everyone, said Steve Percival, school board president. The new school is planned to be a "21st century kind of school," he said, and it will be much more efficient than two separate schools.
Some board members did not have enough time to consider each option, thus some reluctance was shown by the three votes against the proposal, Heil said. Some also wanted a specific maximum capacity for one school and when increased enrollment would force Fayetteville to go to two high schools.
The ideal size for a high school for optimum academics would be 600 to 900 students, as determined by a study conducted by Valerie Lee of the University of Michigan and Julia Smith of Oakland University.
Viewing Comments 1 - 5 of 5
Tim Kring
posted 3/08/07 @ 1:10 PM CST
Great article. This topic has received a great deal of press in local papers, but this was most concise, accurate article written in Arkansas on the topic. (Continued…)
high school
posted 11/15/08 @ 3:51 AM CST
Fayetteville High School is one of the best high schools but the campus of the school is not able to take the load of students. Number of students is increasing substantially every year, so there is the need of another campus. (Continued…)
Angela James
posted 3/05/09 @ 5:22 AM CST
I thank you for the opportunity to share a portion of my moments in time with future generations.
Jane Bailey
posted 3/09/09 @ 3:15 AM CST
Good information. Thanks for the post.
Janet Capper
posted 3/11/09 @ 1:46 AM CST
Yes i agree with you , and nice news thanks. This realy nice news , i watch for them .
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