Caverna adjusts to increase in preschool enrollment

By GINA KINSLOW
Glasgow Daily Times

November 15, 2008 03:42 pm

— Caverna preschoolers will attend classes inside Caverna Elementary next fall, thanks to a decision by the Caverna Board of Education to renovate the elementary school.
Renovation plans call for the construction of partitions in a portion of the school that had originally been designed as pods or space for use with the open classroom concept.
“We had agreed several months ago to go ahead and take one of our pods and partition it into three classrooms,” said Dr. Sam Dick, superintendent.
But the architect for the project pointed out that only two of the classrooms would have adequate heating and cooling.
The school board has now decided to construct partitions in two pods instead of one as they had originally planned in order to provide each classroom with adequate heating and cooling, Dick said.
Preschoolers now attend class in buildings not attached to the elementary school.
The fact that the district has had an increase in its preschool student population also played a role in the board’s decision to renovate both pods.
“Traditionally, we’ve always had three preschool classes,” Dick said.
But due to an increase in preschool enrollment, the district has had to create a fourth preschool class.
“We have one inside already in one of the pods, so, I think, as we see more and more attention given by legislators, both federal and state, we will see that population of students increase,” Dick said.
The project will cost the district between $150,000 to $200,000. The work will begin during summer break.