Wythe County School board unveils plan for schools

WYTHEVILLE (WSLS10) Members of the Wythe County School Board recently released their plans to combine and renovate a middle and high school in Wytheville.

People in Wytheville said George Wythe High School and Scott Memorial Middle School are overdue for renovations - like adding air conditioning systems.

The Superintendent of Wythe County Public Schools Dr. Jeff Perry said the plan would be implemented in four stages.

Part of the plan includes renovating and combining George Wythe High School and Scott Memorial Middle School on the high school site, and it would cost about $37,000,000.

"Being able to combine the high school and middle school provides us a lot of instructional benefits, curriculum benefits and use of staff members," Perry said.

The new high school would be built in front of the current high school. Once that happens, middle school students would move into the newly renovated middle school - which is where the current high school sits.

Other upgrades include a new high school gym and new middle school classrooms.

"What we're looking for is a solution that would solve our problems for the next 50 years," Perry said.

Perry said members on the Wythe County Board of Supervisors are currently looking into details of the plan.

Wythe County leaders said they are looking at all the data - including the survey from earlier this year specifically asking if Wythe County residents would support a 15 cent real estate tax increase to pay for the upgrades.

The board could potentially decide on the plan during its meeting in July.

Perry said if they don't get the money for the schools, they would have to go back and staff would have to figure out a way to accommodate students.

If the school board gets the money, it would about 4 years for construction to wrap up.