H.C. Crittenden Middle School, currently with 650 students, is forecast to top 750. Byram Hills High School, currently with 744 students, is forecast to grow to approximately 1,000. The two elementary schools, Coman Hill and Wampus, are already using portable classrooms to accommodate growth, and expect to add more such temporary classrooms over the next two years.

Board work sessions over the long period of public study showed a range of possible scope for the project which ranged from a low of $42MM to a high of $53MM. With the assistance of Perkins Eastman Architects and Triton Construction, the district finally settled on the appropriate scope at $47MM, after trimming some $6MM.

Next Steps Ahead
The board also noted that there is much to be done in sharing information with the district's voters between now and the March 30 referendum date. Superintendent John Chambers said, "We hope for voter approval at the end of March not least of all because it takes so long after that to finish the plans, review them at the State Education Department, and then do the actual building -- and all the while we have more students coming, particularly to the high school." The target date for new construction to be complete at the high school is September, 2006, with the other schools to follow as soon as possible.

Information on the bond will be provided to district residents in newsletters, on cable television, on the district's web site, and in a series of open meetings, the first of which will be held on March 2, 2004, 7:30 p.m. at the high school.

Other Business On February 3 and February 10
While consideration of a possible Classroom Facilities Bond occupied most of the public sessions on 2/3 and 2/10, a few items of other business were conducted. Several personnel appointments were approved, as shown in the summary box on the following page.

Most significant among the Board's personnel actions was the continuation of the interim principal position occupied by Phyllis Forbes at The Coman Hill School through the 2004-05 school year. Mr. Chambers, in recommending the appointment, celebrated Ms. Forbes long service as classroom teacher in the district, and expressed great appreciation for her leadership as Coman Hill's interim principal. The Board approved the appointment with enthusiasm.

School Calendar for 2004-05 The Board also approved the calendar for the new school year; a copy is attached.