Board President Dee Navarro has listened to a lot of public input in the last few months regarding a new High School. Navarro recently won her re-election bid and will continue to serve for another four years.

Prescott Unified School District (PUSD) will hold a Work/Study session regarding High School Options today at the District Office Board Room at 2:30 pm.

Topics of discussion include:

• Philosophy on Size of High School(s)
• Options for Future Direction
• Land Site Acquisition
• Bond Issue
• Timeline

PUSD has been methodically trying to come to a decision regarding a new high school campus for months. On August 12, 2008 the Board voted 5-0 to approve the planning for a new high school. During subsequent town hall type meetings held at Prescott High School, as well as the responses on the Prescott Schools website, it was obvious that the vast majority of the public response was in favor of keeping PHS at the current location and remodelling to meet the growing student population.

And on October 21, 2008, the PUSD Board voted on the agenda item which read, "Consider approving the continued ownership of the Prescott High School campus by Prescott Unified School District if and when a new high school is built." After much discussion, the motion carrried 5-0.

During that discussion, the minutes state that Board member Tom Staley, "...noted that there are two camps: one to build a new high school at the current site and one to build a new high school at a new location. He stated that he was concerned that if the Board voted to keep the land it does not discourage those people who want a new high school at a new location."

At the October 30, 2008 public forum, parents and interested citizens again expressed a strong desire to see PHS remain on their current campus. However, Mike Taylor, from Michael Taylor Architects reported on his discussions with DLR, a Phoenix firm specializing in school construction and reconstruction. Taylor cautioned that DLR consultants had expressed a concern about the student experience in staying on the site while a reconstruction project was ongoing.

In addition to considering the details regarding a new high school, the Board will move into Executive Session to discuss personnel matters.

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