Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 17, 1995                   TAG: 9505170052
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

OFFICIALS: OLD WING CAN'T MEET HIGH-TECH NEEDS

So say Roanoke school officials, who plan to raze and rebuild the front part of the 72-year-old school.

Their aim is to promote the middle-school concept of team learning in a high-technology environment.

Richard Kelley, assistant superintendent for operations, said the plan is to group students by grade-level teams. Instruction would focus on group learning and interaction with technology, he said.

If the front part of the building is preserved, he said, the space can't be rearranged to provide technology laboratories with state-of-the-art computer connections and modern instructional areas.

"We can save the building, but the community won't be satisfied with the educational program," Kelley said.

"None of the space [in the old building] is large enough for technology labs. We would have had to build another addition, and that would have cost another $4 million," said Craig Sharp, an architect for the project.

The new educational program is needed because Jackson has a very mobile student population with below-average academic performance, Kelley said.

Jackson has the highest middle-school dropout rate in the city, with a 20 percent turnover in the student population each year. Six of every 10 children receive free lunches.

"We are trying to implement programs that will attract more permanence in the student body," Kelley said.

The benefits of replacement over renovation in the Jackson project are substantial, school officials said. They include:

Four technology laboratories and one additional classroom.

A bus drop-off area.

A single entry to the school.

An additional 3,100 square feet for the main offices, teachers' work area, guidance office and clinic; 1,100 square feet for the library; 1,000 square feet for the cafeteria; and 700 square feet for the kitchen.

Some parents are pleased with the replacement plan because it will provide computer laboratories and high-technology equipment.

"I can't believe that some people are more concerned with a building than the education of the children," said Sally Harris, who has a daughter at Jackson.

"They need to think about the kids. We want our children to have a good education. I can't believe that people would complain about something that will help Southeast."

If the old classroom wing were renovated, Kelley said, the school system would have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to meet building and fire codes.

It would have to install at least four elevators to provide access for students who use wheelchairs. The school has nine levels. One access problem would be restroom floors that are 6 inches above the hallway floors, and raised stalls in the restrooms.

The school system could not move walls or stairways to create technology laboratories because of the construction of the old building, he said.

As part of the plan, the school's cafeteria and kitchen will be upgraded, the gymnasium will be repaired, and the dressing rooms will be renovated. The building will be air-conditioned, and the heating system will be replaced.

Kelley said some of the school's historical features will be saved: original classroom flooring, cornerstone, school name block, granite steps and stone frame at entrances. The school name block will be used as a sign, and the other historical features will be used in the new courtyard on the Montrose Avenue side of the building.

He said the school grounds will be beautified and the park environment of the lawn and large trees on the Ninth Street side of the building will be preserved.

Kelley said Southeast Roanoke residents who have questions about the project or want to better understand why school officials chose the replacement plan can call the school for a tour after 2:30 p.m. daily. Principal Charles Kennedy will arrange tours and answer questions.

The school system will hold meetings at all Southeast Roanoke elementary schools and with the Southeast Action Forum to discuss the project.

The forum's meeting will be at 7 p.m. Monday at the group's headquarters in the old fire station on Jamison Avenue.

The elementary school meeting schedule will be: Garden City, Tuesday at 2:15 p.m.; Fallon Park, May 30 at 6:30 p.m.; and Morningside, May 31 at 6:30 p.m.