HARRISONBURG, Va. (ROCKTOWN NOW) – The Harrisonburg City School Board approved the division’s capital improvement plan in a 5-to-1 vote during Tuesday night’s work session.

That plan includes a $5.6 million renovation project for Massanutten Technical Center and a $2.5 million land purchase for a seventh elementary school. However, those priorities were not reflected in a similar study conducted for the city by Weldon Cooper.

Board member Tom Domonoske cast the lone dissenting vote, as he was concerned about the potential need to defend the need for a new elementary school as a priority for Harrisonburg City Council.

“The reason why I say that is I went and looked at the Weldon Cooper numbers that we have, the whole number thing is under a contract where we’re going to get much different numbers from Weldon Cooper,” Domonoske said. “When we have much different numbers from Weldon Cooper, it could be an entirely different conversation.

Board member Deb Fitzgerald said they need to think beyond the numbers when considering the schools’ needs.

“I love me some good numbers, I also love rooms in classrooms and places for students to sit,” Fitzgerald said. “And my planning commission hat, which is getting dusty at this point, says that Weldon Cooper doesn’t account for those many, many housing complexes that have been approved and could still at many times be built.”

The board also highlighted the need for updated student enrollment projection numbers in the Weldon Cooper study as they plan for new schools in the city.

Disability improvements for playgrounds

A Special Education Advisory Committee for Harrisonburg City Public Schools presented some recommendations to the school board that will help students with disabilities.

The school division’s Director of Special Education Ken Hill explained during this week’s work session that one of the recommendations is the need for upgrades to the playgrounds at both Waterman and Spotswood Elementary Schools, which have steep hills from the buildings to the playground.

“We do have students there who use who are in wheelchairs, who also use walkers and other thing,” Hill said. “So for them to get to that playground and be with their peers, they have to go all the way out to the street, down the sidewalk, up to the track, to the track, and then even by the time you make that whole trip, there is no connection between the track and the playground.”

Hill also recommended that school communications to students and their families be more inclusive to those with disabilities as well as continued training and support for school personnel to ensure equitable access for all students.