Green Forest board focuses on planning for the future

Optimism is strong around the Green Forest School District.

After the school board approved using two sites on the district campus for the construction of new buildings, it’s full steam ahead with planning, according to superintendent David Gilmore.

“It’s very exciting, as much as anything,” Gilmore said.

At a special meeting held Monday, April 6, the school board voted to utilize both available locations on district property to construct the new classrooms and adjacent buildings for students in grades 7-12.

Now, it’s all about the planning, both current and future, Gilmore said.

“I’m glad that we’re able to kind of pinpoint down the places that we want to build, and we’re going to add on that,” Gilmore said. “Some of the board members have been discussing making a campus-wide long-term plan because we have other goals for the district. Our newest gym was built in 1975, and there have been studies done in the past about how to remodel that, or maybe even bring it up to better standards or expand it possibly.

… So, our architect, Josh Siebert, is going to discuss those options with the board.”

Any future ideas need to be discussed and brainstormed before breaking ground on the new buildings, Gilmore said.

“We want to make kind of a long-term plan and determine what the needs will be for the district over the next 15 to 20 years, and bring in our architect to help us with that, and really just think this through and make sure we’re getting the priorities for our district here,” Gilmore said.

Groundbreaking on the new project — which was approved by Green Forest residents in the November 2025 election — is still scheduled for early 2027, Gilmore said. In the meantime, determining what structures must be torn down will be a priority. 

“We will be determining the staging area and what facilities will be used during construction,” he said. “For example, we have an old barn and an old dilapidated house that we’ve discussed tearing down, regardless, because it’s just a hazard to the campus and everything.

“We currently have a trailer that we had purchased several years ago on that lot, on the big lot behind the high school there, and so we need to get it moved, and we’d have that area prepped for when they can start building in early 2027.

“We also have the old bus barn there, where they’ve decided to put the new performing arts center. We currently use that as a maintenance storage facility and a workshop, so we need to either move that or build something different and get things ready for when we want to build.”

MEALS, SUPPLIES HIGHLIGHT MEETING

At its regular monthly meeting held Tuesday, April 21, the board approved a pair of initiatives aimed at helping district families.

The board approved taking steps to apply for the Community Eligibility Program, which, if approved, would allow students to be fed at school at no cost, Gilmore said.

“It’s for schools that have very high rates of free and reduced accounts,” he said. “We’ve been discussing it with the state department … and we’re applying for it now.

“If the state comes back and says we can do it, it’s a four-year process that you’re locked into.”

The district will know later in the summer if it is approved for the program, the superintendent said.

The board also OK’d the annual purchase of basic school supplies for all students.

The board also approved adding a second teacher to the district’s popular agriculture program.

“Our current agri program has one teacher in it, and it’s really hard to get in all the things that we’d like for our students with just one teacher,” Gilmore said, adding that the program will now be offered for students starting in eighth grade. “We’re going to do eighth-grade intro to agriculture, which is not something we’re currently serving those students in, and they can actually get a high school credit in the eighth grade, and then can get a head start.”

The district recently hired Aaron Mahan from the Deer/Mount Judea School District to lead the district’s agri program, Gilmore said. In addition, Hailey Wagner will assist Mahan with teaching the program.

In other personnel approvals by the board, Adam Richter will move to become a counselor at the high school campus, Kimberly Martin was approved as a self-contained teacher, Berta Villalta as lead custodian and Trevor Tegley and Kathy Gorecke as custodians.