What should Virginia Beach’s newest schools include? School board gears up for input on $15.4M plans
Virginia Beach Public Schools has already begun the process of replacing three of its schools, school officials told the school board Tuesday night. This means the division will be seeking public input on what will become of Princess Anne High School, Bettie F. Williams Elementary/Bayside 6th Grade Campus and Bayside High School.
The Virginia Beach City Council gave the division the go-ahead in March to enter into the approximately $15.4 million interim agreement to begin design work for the projects. This came after asking the school board to reaffirm its desire to enter into the 12-month agreement in which S.B Ballard Construction Company will provide 30% of the designs with public input and a “guaranteed maximum price.”
Melisa Ingram, the school division’s executive director of facilities services, said focus group interviews are already underway.
Over the next two months, the division will seek out public input from the planning advisory team meetings and the general public meetings to go over the educational specifications to support the learning and programs within each school. The planning advisory teams are made up of school staff, administration, community members as well as four elected officials — two school board members and two city council members.
More meetings are planned over the summer and into fall for design workshops and begin working out conceptual designs to be presented to the school board and city. The final schematic design is expected to be ready November so that officials can work out the financing plan.
Ingram said that if officials deem the financing plan “achievable,” then the guaranteed maximum price and proposed comprehensive agreement ould be ready for considerationby this time next year.
“We’ve got a year of work in front of us,” Ingram said.
Kelsey Kendall, kelsey.kendall@virginiamedia.com
