Byrneville Elementary Eyes Possible Building Project

January 27, 2017

Big improvements could be on the horizon for Byrneville Elementary School with the construction of a new building.

Currently, over one-half of Byrneville’s classrooms are located in eight aging wooden portable buildings with administration, a lunchroom and a few classrooms located in a wood frame brick building constructed in 1941.

Byrneville has been a “conversion charter” school since 2002 when the Escambia County School District closed the existing Byrneville Elementary School and converted it into charter school operated under its own board of directors.

Funding for the school is still provided by the state and local government, with the local school district providing the campus and major maintenance services.

Now, longtime Principal Dee Wolfe-Sullivan  says it is the time for Byrneville to become a full charter school, taking over building ownership and becoming eligible to construct a new permanent building to replace the portables.

“It’s almost like the final snap of the apron strings,” she said. The school would become more directly responsible for its finances, including funding the building construction, but the funds would still come from the county and state coffers. Essentially the change would mean little, she said, other than Byrneville could construct facilities using capital outlay funding that they do not currently receive.

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“Financially, we shouldn’t go broke, right?”, Byrneville board of director member Michelle Driskell asked at a board meeting Wednesday.

“I don’t see us having a problem,” Sullivan replied.

Sullivan said that a new building would allow space for the approximate 200-student elementary school to expand enrollment within class size limits.

“Plus it will be a better learning environment, and much safer. What if that tornado had hit these portables,” Sullivan said, referring to the February 2016 EF-3 tornado that devastated an area of Century about four miles from the Byrneville Elementary School campus.

The new building, if approved by the board of directors and if financing is approved, would be constructed on the Byrneville Elementary School’s current four acre property at 1600 Byrneville Road. While there is no construction timetable in place at this time, the building could open within about two years of final approval.

The school will organize a public meeting to further explain the process to parents and answer any questions. No date for that meeting has been set.

Pictured top: The main building at Byrneville Elementary was constructed in 1941. Pictured below: One of the portable classrooms on the Byrneville Elementary campus. Pictured middle: Principal Dee Wolfe Sullvan addresses the Byrneville Elementary Board of Directors. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Comments

2 Responses to “Byrneville Elementary Eyes Possible Building Project”

  1. David Huie Green on February 1st, 2017 2:56 pm

    CONCERNING:
    ” if that February tornado had hit a brick building like it did along that path, it STILL would have decimated it!”

    Actually, there were wood frame buildings along the tornado’s path which suffered little damage. Many, if not all, were built by Tommy Greenwell.

    David for good workmanship

  2. Dennis HE Wiggins on January 30th, 2017 4:37 pm

    I agree about needing new buildings, but if that February tornado had hit a brick building like it did along that path, it STILL would have decimated it!

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