Jefferson City Schools press pause on building plan

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Jefferson City Schools Superintendent Larry Linthacum said Monday that the district will put on hold a plan to construct two buildings to house fifth- and sixth-grade students "after considerable reflection and further input gathering."

Linthacum and district officials had been working for about 10 months on a plan to address overcrowding at K--8 schools. The plan to build two buildings that emerged from that research was presented to the public last week during two town halls.

"The 5-6 building plan is a solid plan, and we may ultimately determine that it is, in fact, the right plan," Linthacum wrote in a letter to families dated Monday. "But we want to take more time to ensure the plan we bring forward is the absolute best plan to set our students up to be successful now and in the future to come."

Some citizens expressed concerns at the town halls, including what they called a lack of transparency from the district about the plans.

"You don't give the community an opportunity to understand," one community member said at the town hall. "To me, you're addressing something in the middle of another transition and do not engage this community."

Linthacum said among the needs stakeholders mentioned were activities facilities and renovation to existing buildings. He said the district will continue to gather input and continue meetings to determine the best plan.

"We value that input, so we'll make sure to take that into consideration and involve our stakeholders in any decision going forward," Linthacum said.