By By Clif Knight, Hartselle Enquirer
The plea of Hartselle school officials for a new high school to alleviate crowded conditions in grades 6-12 was underscored by first and fourth day enrollment figures reported to the central office.
First day enrollment at the city’s five schools reached 3,072, or a gain of 72 above the number reported at the same time in 2007-08. On Monday, the increase climbed to 96 as the combined enrollment figure topped out at 3,153.
The latest figures show that Hartselle High School with 903 students; Hartselle Junior High with 796, Crestline Elementary with 566, F.E. Burleson Elementary with 455 and Barkley Bridge Elementary with 441. The junior high had an increase of 51 students and the high school 24. Only Barkley Bridge had fewer students.
Capital improvement projects at the junior high are still under construction but are expected to be completed within two to three weeks.
Reed reported an upgrade of the cafeteria, including the replacement of kitchen appliances and equipment, is in the finals construction stage. The cafeteria personnel were scheduled to be trained in the use of the new equipment Tuesday and Wednesday and it was expected to be in full operation by the end of the week. In the meantime, bag lunches are being prepared at the cafeteria at the Tabernacle and hand-delivered to students.
The other project is the installation of central air conditioning for the gymnasium. Duct work was being installed early in the week and the project is expected to be operational by the end of the month.