King George School Board Approves Moving Six of Nine Preschool Classes out of Troubled Building Next Fall
But this is a temporary fix. Members must decide what kind of construction project will best serve the county long-term.
by Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT
Six King George County preschool classes will move from the rapidly deteriorating building on St. Anthony’s Road where they are now housed to King George Elementary in the fall.
That will leave three classes, comprised of students enrolled in the Head Start and the Virginia Preschool Initiative programs, in the c. 1939 building until a new home is built for them, which division superintendent Jesse Boyd acknowledged at last week’s School Board meeting will be several years.
The School Board approved Boyd’s plan for moving the six preschool classes to King George Elementary at its April 24 meeting.
“I can’t stress enough that this is a short-term plan,” Boyd said. “It does take King George Elementary—the one school that was under capacity—to capacity.”
That means all five county schools are either at or over maximum capacity.
At a joint meeting last month, the consensus of the county’s Board of Supervisors was that the School Board should seek funding for a new facility through a ballot referendum this fall.
Boyd told School Board members that he and division staff will be working with Moseley Architects—which conducted two feasibility studies on a new preschool building late last year—to come up with a cost estimate and timeline for the project by August, so that the referendum can go on the ballot in November.
Boyd said the division is looking at two options—constructing a combined fourth elementary school and unified preschool building or constructing a fourth elementary school and dividing the preschool programs among the four elementary schools.
He said there are pros and cons to both options that the Board should carefully weigh.
But Board member Colleen Davis asked Boyd at the meeting what happened to the idea of building both a fourth elementary school and a unified preschool, as was discussed in one of the feasibility studies.
“I think this is what we need—this preschool by itself and the elementary school, so we can have room to grow,” Davis said. “What [supervisors] did express [at the joint meeting] is that we need to be looking long-term. My opinion is that sticking the preschool and another school together is another temporary fix.”
Boyd said that this would be “undoubtedly” a more expensive option than housing the preschool and a fourth elementary school together.
“Yes, but we’re going to do a referendum,” Davis responded. “If we educate the people that this is what we need …”
School Board Chair David Bush thanked Davis for making these points and asked Boyd to return with information about cost and timing for all three options.
Local Obituaries
To view local obituaries or to send a note to family and loved ones, please visit our website at the link that follows.
Weather and Traffic
Support Award-winning, Locally Focused Journalism
In less than a year, FXBG Advance has become the news leader in Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, and Stafford through its innovative mix of:
Twice-daily newsletter - At 6 AM and 5 PM every Monday through Friday, the Advance brings the most important news directly to your inbox.
Education Reporting - Adele Uphaus has won multiple awards for her coverage of education issues locally and across the state. Now, she brings her experience, insights, and expertise to the Advance, providing our citizens some of the finest education writing and reporting in the commonwealth.
Political Reporting - From council meetings to campaigns, and fundraising to finance, the Advance is returning the Fourth Estate to its rightful place as a government watch dog.
Breaking News - From court cases to high-profile government moves, the Advance is the first to inform residents.
Investigative Journalism - Last year, the Advance broke major stories around improperly filed election documents, misleading sample ballots, disenfranchising Spotsylvania Count School parents, and book bans.
Election Coverage - The Advance offered the most complete coverage of the 2023 election, with in-depth candidate profiles, daily tracking of events, leading debates, and pre-dawn to post-midnight Election Day coverage. And 2024 brings even greater coverage.
Spotlights - From local businesses to nonprofit organizations and regional leaders, the Advance brings the people who make things happen to your attention.
Multi-partisan Commentary - Martin Davis is a 20-plus-year journalist recognized for superior commentary and political writing; Shaun Kenney has his hands on the pulse of political leaders across the Commonwealth. Together, they bring an unparalleled level of analysis and insight into the issues that drive debate in our region.
Political Cartoons - Clay Jones is a nationally recognized talent who draws weekly for CNN. He has returned to Fredericksburg to level his critical eye and razor-sharp drawing at the topics which make us both laugh, and look closer at ourselves.
New Dominion Podcast - Each week, Martin Davis and Shaun Kenney interview guests from across the region and the state. Growing to over 1,000 listeners in just six months, NDP has become a leading force in political, cultural, and social discussion.
We thank each and every one of you who have made the Advance a part of your day, and we’re excited to say that more-exciting announcements are just around the corner as we continue to innovate and expand our coverage of the region.
The donations of individual readers have made this year possible. Please join the hundreds who are supporting excellence in journalism by subscribing for just $8 a month.
Where does your money go?
It goes to support the great journalists we have - like Adele Uphaus - and the ones we look to hire in the year ahead.
If you can spare $8 a month, we’ll be both grateful, and reward your trust in us with more journalism, more stories, and more connections to organizations and people who make our region a great place to live.
If you can’t, thank you for reading the FXBG Advance!, and consider sharing us with your friends.
In 2024, let’s build an even better Advance - together!
Thank you for reading and supporting FXBG Advance.
-Martin Davis, Editor-in-Chief