By Dr. Darron Arlt-PHS Superintendent
We hope you are aware that for the past many months we have accelerated the conversation about providing more modern facilities for our teachers, students, and athletes.
Our focus has understandably been drawn to our 1920 building, which is essentially the same structure as it was when it was built. By any measure, it is a woefully substandard space. The number of life safety and ADA access codes unmet by this space, not to mention the inadequate learning environment, render it practically unserviceable in my opinion.
Two classrooms on the top floor have sagging floors which is an obvious cause for great concern, and which renders those spaces as unusable. It will cost tens of thousands of dollars to arrest any further floor support failure which should be done whether we plan to occupy this building for decades more or not.
While I can appreciate as much as any PHS alumnus the feelings of nostalgia associated with the 1920 building, it’s not about me/us. It’s about our current and future students that deserve a modern learning space that they can feel proud of and that meets all our students’ needs.
I remember the day the 1908 building was demolished to make way for the new construction of the 1977 building. I was at the swimming pool, and it was quite a spectacle to see bulldozers tear into that building. I imagine many folks struggled that day to see their memories of their school days in that building turn to dust. It served Plainview Public Schools for nearly 70 years. Simple math tells us that the 1920 building is going on 105 years of service.
We will lose 8 classrooms, a wrestling room, and hundreds of square feet of storage when the 1920 building is decommissioned. How and when that happens will require a collective conversation with all our stakeholders in the very near future.
For the past couple of months, architects and engineers have been conducting a facility and utility audit of all facilities owned and operated by Plainview Public Schools. The results of this audit will be presented to the public at a formal meeting of the school board in the Pirate gym in the next 6-8 weeks. We will give you ample notice so that you can attend. The board may invite some of those in attendance to serve on a team to help form a vision for what facility improvements are necessary for the next generations of Plainview Public Schools students.
Watch for more details in the weeks to come about the serviceability of our school facilities and by all means, reach out with any questions. You are also always welcome to come and see our learning spaces for yourself. Most stakeholders are quite familiar with our activity facilities but rarely do you get to see the space that our teachers and students occupy 90% of the time that they are on campus.
We hope to engage you in the coming weeks and months with full transparency as we consider a vibrant and ambitious future for Plainview Public Schools!