3 new schools are coming to Virginia Beach: Here’s how to give your feedback

Kelsey Kendall, The Virginian-Pilot
·2 min read

The Virginia Beach school division is seeking input on new designs for Princess Anne High School, Bayside High School, Bayside Sixth Grade Campus and Bettie F. Williams Elementary. These projects fall under the recently approved interim agreement to replace these schools, which are among the oldest in the division.

The school system and S.B. Ballard Construction Co. entered into a 12-month Public-Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act agreement, and announced the upcoming meetings over the next several months.

Meetings for Bayside High School are all at the Bayside High library on May 3, May 31, Sept. 12 and Oct. 26.

Meetings for Princess Anne High School are on May 3 at the Bayside High library and June 1, Sept. 13 and Oct. 25 at the Princess Anne High library.

Meetings for the consolidated Bettie F. Williams Elementary and Bayside Sixth Grade Campus building are May 1 in the elementary school cafeteria, May 30 in the sixth grade cafeteria, Sept. 14 in the elementary school cafeteria and Oct. 23 in the sixth grade cafeteria.

All of the meetings are 6-7:30 p.m.

According to a VBCPS news release, the input received in these meetings will be “critical in shaping the vision to provide new facilities that will support the current and future educational programs for these schools.”

Under the $15.4 million interim agreement, the division will receive 30% of the designs from S.B. Ballard with public input and a “guaranteed maximum price” before Virginia Beach officials decide to go forward with construction.

The agreement was approved by the School Board at the end of February with a current estimated cost to complete all three projects of $428.8 million. One school official told the School Board prior to the vote that the cost is likely higher now because of inflation.

At the end of the yearlong agreement, the division will get a draft a comprehensive agreement with S.B. Ballard that the board can approve or it can decide to go in a different direction, keeping the plans that have been produced.

Kelsey Kendall, kelsey.kendall@virginiamedia.com