Muscogee County School District: Cantrell wants district to consider performing arts academy at Jordan

Muscogee County School Board member Mark Cantrell has been asking people in the community what they think of his idea of possibly placing a performing arts academy at Jordan Vocational High School. He is pleased with the reaction he has received.

“I got about 300 responses supporting the idea,” he said of the question he posed on Facebook.

School Superintendent Susan Andrews said Cantrell asked for a feasibility study to be done and that Bobby Hecht, the school district’s director of construction, is working on that.

“He has pulled some data on it for me,” Andrews said.

A preliminary report by Hecht says a 40,000-square-foot addition would have to be built to begin to have what the school district wants.

The school district has approximately $16 million of Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax to use for a performing arts center.

A proposal by Andrews for the school board to approve an intent to purchase the old Bibb Mill for $3.6 million failed by a 4-4 vote last year.

Andrews said she liked that location because it is close to the Springer Opera House and the Columbus State University downtown campus that includes the Schwob School of Music. She would still like to stay close to those venues.

Cantrell said he favors staying within budget by using a building or land the school district already owns.

“It just makes sense to me to not have to spend money that you don’t have to spend,” he said.

He said Jordan is centrally located, and it is the largest Columbus School and can hold many more students that it has now.

Andrews isn’t so sure. The performing arts academy would be for students in grades 6-12, and about 1,200 students would be expected to attend.

She said Jordan currently has 800 Jordan High students and another 200 Hardaway students in an annex.

The school has been renovated to be the school district’s career academy, and students from other schools take courses there in culinary arts, welding, automotive technology and construction.

Cantrell said he would not want to do anything to hurt Jordan.

“Jordan is a diamond of a school,” Cantrell said. “I just want to see to what our options are to get a performing arts academy and keep within budget. I want to know if people think Jordan would be a good idea.”