CCSB Will Hold Public Meeting On Facility Plans

RISON - The Cleveland County School District will conduct a school facilities public hearing during the Cleveland County School Board meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 18, at the administration building in Rison, Superintendent Jerrod Williams has announced. Williams said the hearing is required before the school district can submit its School Facilities Master Plan to the Arkansas Public School Facilities and Transportation Commission. State law requires public school districts to provide a sixyear master plan that is approved by the school board during even-numbered years. The plan includes projections and plans regarding the need for constructing academic buildings, and replacing/improving infrastructure and equipment. Projects included in the master plan are eligible for partnership funding through the state. Partnership funding is a program where the state pays a portion of the cost of an approved project that is related to academics. The portion each district receives varies and is based on the district's wealth index. The 2023-25 wealth index for the Cleveland County School District is about 76 percent, which means the state would pay for 76 percent of the cost for a project that is approved by the state. In recent years, the Cleveland County School District has successfully secured partnership funding for the planned school cafeteria expansion as well as replacement of the air conditioning units at the high school. During last month's Cleveland County School Board meeting, Williams presented the board with an idea of building a new gym that would also serve as a multi-purpose center to accommodate student assemblies, graduation and other events. Williams said his idea was inspired by a new school gym/multi-purpose center at Malvern. That gym, he said, has an elevated area at one end of the gym floor that also serves as a stage area for non-athletic events. Williams said the gym floor is c...