[August 08, 2011] School Board will discuss five-year improvement plan Tweet Aug 08, 2011 (Aiken Standard - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The Aiken County Board of Education will get a current five-year facility improvement plan summary at a board meeting Tuesday at 7 p.m. The existing summary includes major capital projects through 2016-17 but continues to reflect a $14.5 million annual allocation for facility and general maintenance needs. In June, School Board members approved a millage increase to the district's debt service budget. That action will allow the district to pursue annual bond issues for facility and maintenance needs that will provide $16 million in revenue in the new fiscal year and $17.5 million by 2015-16. The first project on the schedule will add a kitchen/cafeteria to Jackson Middle School. In the next project, the seventh- and eighth-grade classes at aging Ridge Spring-Monetta Elementary/Middle School will move to a new wing on the Ridge Spring-Monetta High School campus. Further projects in subsequent years will provide improvements to Aiken High, North Augusta High, Busbee-Corbett Elementary/Middle School, Gloverville Elementary School and New Ellenton Middle School. New Ellenton is scheduled to become a grade 5K-8 school, leading to the closing of Greendale Elementary School. Deputy Superintendent David Caver also will present options for utilization of the additional revenue, among them increasing funding for the capital projects. The district could also add funds to the cyclical maintenance budget or increase funding for new projects, such as $16 million for a phase 2 of North Augusta Middle School additions or $25 million for improvements at Leavelle McCampbell Middle School. In other business, -- The district administration will recommend that the School Board purchase "MyGraduationPlan" online software. The software is intended to help students with disabilities discover their strengths, interests and educational needs to assist them in making career plans beyond high school. -- Public Education Partners, an Aiken-based education foundation, has donated $40,000 to Jackson Middle School toward the purchase of a synergistic laboratory system. In conjunction with the school district, PEP has previously coordinated lab projects at four other middle schools, providing students with career-oriented interactive computer-based activities. The school district established two other middle school labs with federal stimulus funds in recent years. Contact Rob Novit at 644-2391. To see more of the Aiken Standard or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.aikenstandard.com/. Copyright (c) 2011, Aiken Standard, S.C. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]