Mobile classrooms to provide more space at Truman

By Lynn A. Wade

Nevada Daily Mail

School board members call it a "stop-gap" measure. It's a plan to provide a little more space for the growing student population at Truman Elementary.

New students entering the district, mostly from folks moving to the area mean a blossoming elementary school population. Higher numbers of students are reported, especially in kindergarten.

School officials said last month they're not sure if the rise in student population is a one-time anomaly or a trend, but agreed that something needs to be done to accommodate the current student population.

Superintendent Dr. Ted Davis said, "We're not talking about a huge jump, but we are talking about more students. If we see another larger kindergarten class, then we may have an indication there's a trend."

Davis noted that the increase in students appears to have come mostly from people moving into the district, based on reports from principals; but one year's statistics simply don't provide enough information to make a long-range forecast, but if it's a trend, Davis said, then, "it could be an indication of the beginnings of health growth," in the community and the district.

Typically, he said, student population declines a bit over the course of the school year, but this year, that hasn't happened. District wide numbers indicate there were a few more students enrolled in December than were on the rolls in September.

Davis said that if there's another large group of kindergartners, then the district has some options in terms of making room for them in existing facilities. But at Truman, this year's larger-than-usual second grade class will be entering Truman as next year's third grade, while a smaller fifth grade class will be graduating to middle school.

Davis told the board "We have reviewed the current room utilization and believe that we really have no option but to add two additional classrooms."

Davis said the board has indicated that small class sizes, which allow more opportunities for individualized teaching -- especially in the district's reading curriculum -- are needed.

In order to keep the student/teacher ratio at the desired level, about 21 pupils per teacher, the Nevada R-5 school board has opted to add two mobile classrooms at Truman Elementary, on the southwest side of the building, between the fourth and third-grade pods.

Requests for bids for two, 24-by-60-foot modular classrooms were prepared, and the district received two bids by the Jan. 5 deadline. The bids were similar in scope, with each proposing a structure with thermal windows, R-30 insulation, a 3/12-pitch roof with one-inch overhang and soffit venting. Delivery and setup were also included in the bids. Bids were from Jim's Mobile Offices, an Illinois-based company, for $78,500; and Classroom, Inc., Columbia, Mo., for $60,937.

The board chose Classroom, Inc., the low bidder, to provide the structures.