Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
A plan to move the Colfax School District offices from the high school building to Jennings Elementary is set to commence July 1.
The move will create more classroom space at the high school while using some of the vacated space at the elementary school when the seventh and eighth grades moved to the high school building in 2012.
The new offices will take up two of the five classrooms in the junior high wing of Jennings. Another will be used for the board room and other activities.
“It kind of depends on what happens with student population,” said Superintendent Michael Morgan.
The classroom will be cut into offices with portable dividers and donated desks from Columbia Bank in Colfax.
Staff members who will relocate include Morgan, Business Manager Reece Jenkin, Accounts Payable Clerk Heidi Lowe, District Secretary Shawn Stine and Assistant Shawna Kneale.
The built-in desks of the Superintendent’s former office as well as Jenkins’ and Lowe’s may be used for counters for computers.
For Jennings, Morgan had requested $9,000 to put in double doors to section off the junior high wing along with a window to help people see where the new district offices are, but the request was denied by the board.
Morgan said the need for more space at the high school comes from the addition of the two grade levels.
“Having two other grade levels adds four classrooms,” he said. “It added a need for more physical space. We thought we could work around it, but we see that it could improve efficiency.”
Along with classroom space, Technology Director Tony Lewis’ office will be moved from a second floor classroom at the high school into the former district office.
How the space will be ultimately used will be decided by high school principal Buck Marsh.
Once the moving days arrive, Morgan said the district office staff will help along with a group of football players.
Once set up at Jennings, Morgan indicated there will be some benefit with more administration time at Jennings.
“I honestly do spend more time in this building (high school),” Morgan said. “It’s not good or bad; it’s just different. I’m looking forward to it. It’s just a difference.”
Morgan has told the school board he expects the move to be complete by the end of July.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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