The Dickson County School Board is moving closer to hiring a firm to analyze the school system’s facilities, student population, and learning environments as part of a long-range plan.
Schools Director Dr. Danny Weeks told the board he spoke with the Lewis Group firm of Knoxville to “help analyze our facilities, to help make predictions on where we might need to build future facilities as well as guidance in terms of structuring school environments.
The board has scheduled another discussion and possible vote on the firm at its monthly meeting in May.
The board at an early April special session asked for an independent review of the school system in order to decide the type of new facility that should be added, or if a new facility should be built at all.
The Dickson County School Board is focused on getting neutral data about growth areas and facilities’ student populations in Dickson County before proceeding with long-range planning.
The board asked school administrators at a special planning session Thursday to move toward gathering more information before committing to a facility plan.
Schools Director Dr. Danny Weeks repeated that education leaders should have a plan ready if County Mayor Bob Rial and the county commission approve approximately $30 million in funding the mayor has said might be available in the next few years for school capital projects.
Weeks again asked the board to provide direction “in terms of administration, in terms of looking at facilities, looking at land, looking at properties.