| By Bob Weaver
The Calhoun Board of Education held a public hearing last night regarding the ten year Comprehensive Educational Facility Plan [CEFP] for the county's three schools.
The CEFP hearing was an opportunity for parents and the public to ask questions about the plan, provide comments regarding the proposed plan, or submit statements on the proposed plan.
None attended the hearing, although it was widely publicized.
The biggest item in the CEFP is the proposed construction of a new Arnoldsburg Elementary School and the moving of 5th grade students at Calhoun Middle-High School back to the county's two elementary schools.
Superintendent Roger Propst said that although Calhoun Middle-High School was constructed for 1,300 students and is being used by about 600 students, he believes in the importance of maintaining the county's elementary schools at Pleasant Hill and Arnoldsburg.
The proposed construction of a new Arnoldsburg school, estimated to cost $9 million, has possibilities, said Propst. The school has long-suffered problems from being in the flood plain.
The county will need matching money from the state's School Building Authority to make it happen, but will require the renewal of a bond approved by county voters in the late 1990s.
That bond is set to expire in 2012, having provided $3,300,000 to do upgrades to Calhoun Middle-High School when it was constructed, including gym expansion and a larger auditorium.
"We'll put the bond out there in hopes of approval," said Propst, indicating that tax rates will be the same.
The CEFP plan will be approved by the local school board on July 6, with the WV School Building Authority already giving initial approval of the plan.
The plan contains several other needed improvements, including a gym at Pleasant Hill Elementary school.
Propst praised the members of the CEFP committee for preparing the plan.
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