Jefferson bond to finance schools' construction

September 21, 2000

Jefferson bond to finance schools' construction

By DAVE McMILLION / Staff Writer, Charles Town

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - The following is a breakdown of how the $39 million school construction bond will be used if it is passed by voters in a special election Saturday.

- $31.8 million will be used to build a second high school that would have a capacity for 1,200 students. The Jefferson County Board of Education wants to build the school south of Charles Town near the Charles Town bypass, but school officials did not want to enter into an agreement for land until after the vote, Superintendent of Schools David W. Markoe said.

Markoe said he would like to have a multi-story high school because it would be a more efficient use of land space.

If the levy is approved, the school could possibly be built by 2004, Markoe said.

- $6 million will be used to continue renovations at Jefferson High School. The state School Building Authority has already approved $3.2 million for the renovations. That money will be used to replace heating and air-conditioning systems and install a new fire-sprinkling system.

The $6 million from the bond issue will pay for expansion and renovation of the library, new science labs, new gym and new seats and a new sound system in the auditorium. The money also will pay for new computer wiring throughout the school and for painting, Markoe said.

- $1.2 million will pay for construction-cost increases at a new middle school about to be built adjacent to Jefferson High School. The School Building Authority approved $7.4 million for the new school, but that is not enough to cover construction cost increases, Markoe said.

The bond issue is part of a $56 million schools improvement program developed by Markoe. The remaining money for the program will come from funding sources already available to the Board of Education and an additional $4 million the board plans to request from the School Building Authority.

In addition to the major construction projects to be funded by the bond issue, the school improvement program would make renovations to every elementary school and the three current junior high schools in the county, Markoe said.

Polls open at 6:30 a.m. Saturday and close at 7:30 p.m. Most voters will cast their ballots at their normal polling places, although some may be changed because of other activities scheduled at churches and other buildings that typically serve as polling places, Markoe said.

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