Residents Debate 9th Grade Academy

Issue Is Not Whether But Where to Locate Central High School 9th Grade Academy

CENTRAL — Last Thursday, Central schools Supt. Mike Faulk presided over a spirited discussion about the future of Central’s 9th Grade Academy.  More than 200 students, teachers, parents, and school board members attended the forum at Tanglewood Elementary School.  The discussion will continue at Tanglewood tonight at 6 p.m.

At present, Central High includes grades 9-12, Central Middle grades 6-8, Central Intermediate grades 4-5, Tanglewood grades 2-3, and Bellingrath Hills K-1.

But this fall, Central Middle and Central Intermediate will move into the new Central School Complex on Sullivan Road.  That would leave the existing Central Middle School campus and the rented Starkey Academy campus vacant.  In addition, CIS would be expanded to grades 3-5 at the new School Complex, Tanglewood would become a school for grades 1-2, and Bellingrath Hills would be preK-K only.

Thursday night’s discussion focused on where to locate the 9th Grade Academy.  Several options were discussed, all involving significant capital expenditures:

• Long-Term.  Construct a new two-story classroom wing at the existing high school site for 400 9th graders.  This would be 30,000 additional square feet at a cost of $5 million and would not be ready until the 2015-2016 school year.

• Another Long-Term Proposal.  Relocate the 9th Grade Academy in the old Central Middle School.  Because of the very poor condition of the building, the main classroom building would have to be renovated at a cost of $3.7 to $4.3 million.   It could accommodate 400 students but would not be ready until 2015-2016.

Short-term options include relocating the 9th Grade Academy to Starkey Academy or to the new Central School Complex during construction at the high school or the middle school.

A permanent option with very little cost would be to put the 9th Grade Academy at the new School Complex as part of a new Junior High (grades 7-9), use Central Intermediate for grades 4-6, keep the 3rd grade at Tanglewood, and use Tanglewood for grades 2-3.  In this scenario, the old Central Middle could be put to other uses, and there would be no need for Starkey.

Until the 1980’s, there were very few middle schools in the Baton Rouge area.  Junior high schools served students in grades 7-9.