Excavation work underway for the new Smithville Elementary School addressing longstanding concerns at the nearly 70-year-old campus.
Smithville Elementary Principal Anita Puckett said the added safety of the new facility is what she looks forward to most. The building will bring all students under one roof, replacing a sprawling campus where children currently travel through outdoor breezeways between classroom wings.
“The dynamics of security for our children in schools have changed over the last several years,” Puckett said, “And the dynamics of Smithville Elementary, you know when it was built the idea was all about education, not about safety from intruders.”
Puckett said the new 120,980-square-foot building will feature two enclosed classroom sections with hallways organized by grade level. Puckett said the design will eliminate the need for students to leave the main building to reach classrooms, including eight first-grade classrooms currently located in a detached wing.
Puckett said the existing school was built in 1958, with additions constructed in 1971 and the 1990s. Space limitations have also forced two second-grade classes to attend Northside Elementary.
Puckett said the DeKalb County Board of Education approved a guaranteed maximum construction price of $45.6 million for the new school, which will accommodate approximately 800 Pre-K through second-grade students. The facility will be built on county property adjacent to Northside Elementary.
Puckett said the new campus will also separate parent drop-off traffic from school buses, with parent access at the front and bus routes behind the buildings. TDOT advised officials on traffic patterns designed to keep vehicles moving while reducing congestion along the main road.
“It’s just a peace of mind,” Puckett said. “You have to understand this is DeKalb County and this is our first new construction in 26 years.”
Northside Elementary, which opened in 2000, was the county’s last newly constructed school, Puckett said. The district is targeting an August 2028 opening.