SC-Coppell HS-CS 890419Trustees tour
a high school
nearly finished
By LINDA BURKE
Staff Writer
Coppell school board members,
administrators and members of the
community took a walk Friday
through the new Coppell High
School, which is nearing completion.
The $14 million project is com-
pletely dried in, and workers are
busily putting the finishing touches
on the high school, scheduled for
completion in late May.
Project architect Mike Elmore
said the classroom areas are about
90 percent complete, with cabinets
and ceiling tiles being installed.
The school has been designed
with the latest architectural trends,
including multi-level open areas, and
glass walling for easy expansion and
construction of additions to the
school.
The main hallway is topped by a
vaulted, diffused glass roof. A 14-
foot clock with 6- and 7-foot hands
has been constructed near the front
door of the school, Nearly all of the
classrooms have windows.
A red-gray color scheme is con-
sistent throughout the school, with
hall wall paneling, ceramic tiles in the
restrooms and graphics in the gym-
fiasium.
Elmore said wall panels and shelv*
ing are being installed in the school's
Turn to HIGH SCHOOL, page RA
High school
From page lA
fi. bra~, floor tile is being installed in
$e cafeteria, graphics are being de-
sfgned in the cafeteria, the gym floor
is being primed and wall covering is
being installed in the administrative
area.
· At the adjacent stadium, founda-
tion piers and underground electric
· ld plumbing are being installed at
the home side. Concrete grand-
~.tands are being installed on the visi-
[Ors' side.
· 'Board President Judi Baggett
Said, after the tour, that the building
Was impressive.
"It looks much better than I
thought it could," she said. The
gchool, budgeted at $14 million, may
cbme closer to costing $17 million
~hen it's completed because of high-
~-than-anticipated land costs and
the construction of the Parkway
Boulevard extension to the school
for access.
"~In a special called meeting after
the school tour, the school board
approved a $22,415 change order to
install a sophisticated sound system
in the cafeteria and gymnasium. The
board originally had budgeted for a
$1,600 public address system, but
derided it would not suit the needs of
the new high school's population and
growth.
The system was approved Friday
to allow for installation before the
cafeteria ceiling is completed and the
gym floor is installed. The system
will include several amplifiers and
mixers, as well as a portable unit to
move between the gym and
cafeteria.
The board also agreed to answer a
citizen's request and install an 8-foot
chain-link fence along the west side
of the property at the new high
school site.
The move comes after a request
by homeowner Melvin Gross, who
has a home and horses along the
western property line. The board
agreed to make the fence 8 feet high
instead of 6 feet high, and plant thick
landscaping.
Gross had appeared before the
board at a meeting several months
ago to make the request, saying he
didn't want students climbing the
fence or disturbing the horses. The
fence ~511 be 1,310 feet long.
The board also agreed to autho-
rize Baggett to sign the final plat of
the high school to submit to the dty
council for final approval.
In other business, the board
agreed to an administrative propos-
al, calling for hiring 39 new teachers
and aides to accommodate for
growth in the schools.
The teachers would be hired with-
in the next month for the 1989-90
school year at an added cost to next
year's budget of $941,204. The
proposal includes positions pre-
viously approved, some full-time and
others sharing time between
schools. :~
"Personnel is going to be a big
budget consideration," said Sandra
Stuckey, assistant superintendent
for personnel/public relations. She
said the plan involving 39 additional
positions still is flexible, but is the
minimum to continue the kinds of
programs Coppell has established at
all grade levels.
What percentage personnel costs
will be in next year's district budget
won't be determined until the budget
is finalized in August.
Vonita White, acting superinten-
dent, said the plan had come from
the school principals, who were in
agreement with it. The board
approved the plan, with member
Royce Lively opposing after his mo-
tion failed to table the issue until the
board met in a regular meeting.