Wren High School sophomores and upperclassmen who live in an area zoned for Powdersville High will continue to attend Wren, but current freshmen have been given the opportunity to attend the new school. During last week’s board meeting, Ferguson said 63 Wren High freshmen have committed to attend Powdersville High, while 58 want to stay at Wren. About another 30 have not yet committed either way.
Ferguson said his staff is likely to be very lean next year, as the district will continue to trim the budget. Some of the teachers who currently work at Wren High will probably go to Powdersville High.
The school will probably have about 15 teachers, a guidance counselor, a secretary and a principal. The school’s athletic director, Robert Mustar, will also be a teacher.
Powdersville High will be too small to have varsity sports the first year, but Ferguson said he’s already working on planning the JV schedule for next year.
Powdersville High is unlikely to have a major impact on Wren High’s sports program, since the school will only initially have underclassmen, and many of the athletes will want to stay at Wren.
“If you’re an athlete, you probably want to stay at Wren High,” Ferguson said. “If you’re sitting on the bench, you probably want to come to Powdersville High.”
Although Powdersville High will only have about 250 students next year, officials expect it to grow quickly.
Each year, the school’s population will continue to grow, and should be at about 800-900 in about three years. Powdersville High’s capacity will be about 1,000.
The student enrollment may grow even faster if the economy improves and more people begin moving to the area. Three years ago, officials said the district’s population typically grew about 3-5 percent each year. This year, it stayed virtually the same.
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