Highlights from the Madison County school districts State of the Schools Address

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - There are more than 56,000 students who attend Huntsville, Madison, and Madison County school districts. WAFF talked with the superintendents of each district and they say they need more space, as enrollment continues to go up.

“I’d rather grow than decline and we’ve grown about 400 kids a year, for the past 10 years,” said Madison City Superintendent Ed Nichols.

Madison City Schools are busting at the seams. Construction is already underway to build a new Middle school, located next to the district office. School leaders are also making plans for a new elementary school.

“We’re finishing up a new middle school that will be open in 2023-2024. We also bought property for an eighth elementary school and we’re looking at additions at both of our high schools. Our current population of students is about 12,300 and we predict in the next seven to ten years, we’ll be around 15,000 students,” said Nichols.

With Huntsville being the biggest city in the state, it’s no shocker Huntsville City Schools are also growing.

“We have not just been waiting for this growth to occur. We’ve been having conversations of what schools need to have renovations, what schools need additions, what schools may need new buildings. So those conversations are taking place, we’re having conversations with the city,” said Huntsville City Superintendent Christie Finley.

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know Madison County Schools are also growing. Superintendent Allen Perkins who is currently serving the district in his last year as the man in charge, says leaders have also looked into building a new school, to go along with the others they already have, but the prices continue to go up. What a couple of years ago would cost $19 million for a new school, he says now cost $30 million. He didn’t say if a decision was made to purchase the land.

With more kids in classrooms, district leaders are going to have to make big and expensive decisions. When they do, we’ll let you know. Also discussed during Wednesday’s State of the Schools Address, superintendents discussed the need for more career tech programs, for students who want to learn a trade.