By David Ball
The Port Arthur News
PORT ARTHUR
January 06, 2009 09:12 pm
—
After an eventful year of moving to a new school while their building is being constructed, students of Booker T. Washington Elementary are once again on the move.
Trustees with PAISD held an emergency board meeting Tuesday night at the Stilwell Technical Center in response to the fire at the Memorial Ninth Grade and Washington Elementary campuses Jan. 4 and what to do with students while repairs are ongoing.
It was decided by the board Washington’s students will attend the following campuses beginning Monday, Jan. 12 until the remaining of the school year:
• Pre-K through kindergarten to Wheatley School of Early Childhood Programs, 1100 Jefferson Drive
• First and second grade to Wilson at Franklin Technology Theme School, 1001 10th St.
• Third grade to Travis Elementary School, 1115 Lakeview Ave.
• Fourth grade to DeQueen Elementary School, 740 DeQueen Blvd.
• Fifth grade to Tyrrell School, 4401 Ferndale St.
Ninth Grade students will remain at the Memorial Ninth Grade campus at 1023 Abe Lincoln Ave. and return to class as early as Monday, Jan. 12. Portable buildings may be brought on campus.
School district officials originally thought about placing the Ninth Grade students at the Park Place Medical Center on 39th Street or in classes at Memorial High School, but decided on this course.
Brown said the district’s goal is to have the school buses pick up and drop off students at or around their residences. PAISD thought of a central location for the students to gather to ride the buses, but reconsidered.
Action Restoration will work on repairs to the damage on the Washington side of the building, day and night, to get school ready for Monday morning, Brown said. School supplies will be procured and textbooks not damaged will be treated with a solution to be used until new textbooks arrive. Everything will be wiped down and other material boxed up.
Air quality tests will be performed before students enter the building and computers will either be replaced, or those still useable will be chemically tested by technicians. The computers’ cost can be recouped if they no longer work.
A firewall will be constructed for the first and second floor and air ducts removed to separated the damaged portion from the 9th Grade side of the campus.
Phyllis Geans, assistant superintendent for business and finance, told the board she was confident PAISD would be reimbursed by its insurance company for costs incurred. Costs upfront will have to be paid and the deductible of $25,000 will have to be paid. Funds should be adequate in the fund balance to pay the district’s bills and work performed. Repair costs are estimated to be over $1 million.
Brown announced when the new year began, they didn’t anticipate or wanted this fire.
“This was regretful, but their was no loss of life or injuries,” he said. “It’s been a challenge, but life is full of them and life can either be joyful or full of misery.”
He added situational leadership is such as this and the number one priority for PAISD is having a safe environment at their schools in addition to learning.
dball@panews.com
Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.