LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) -- Mills High School, in Southeast Little Rock, and Robinson Middle School out west on Highway 10.
Both are getting completely new buildings that are bigger and nicer.
“I always tell them not to judge the book by the cover,” said Brooke Wall, a parent to two PCSSD students.
One of her kids is currently at Robinson Middle.
“The teachers are wonderful, the staff are wonderful, the building is terrible,” said Wall.
Her youngest will be able to reap the benefits of the new facility.
“It looks amazing,” said Wall.
In the design draft of a new Robinson Middle, each level of the building will hold an individual grade.
“The middle school in particular is almost 65 years old, so we think it's appropriate to replace it,” said Dr. Jerry Guess, Superintendent of PCSSD.
Not only are they rebuilding, they are recycling. The Robinson Middle School building will become a 9th grade academy with just freshmen. 10, 11, and 12th graders will remain in the high school. At Fuller Middle School, this building will eventually be torn down and all the students that would normally go tehre will be moved to the old Mills High School building.
“Mills will be built behind it, and as we finish it, we'll tear down Fuller Middle to open up the front access,” said Guess.
In the draft designs of the new Mills campus, “We'll turf the football field. We’ll put in new bleachers,” said Guess.
Derek Scott with the district’s operations says the design will highlight the school mascot.
“It's supposed to emulate the feel of the comet, swirling,” said Scott.
They will also play to the drain system already on campus.
“Use that to use to benefit the beauty of the campus,” said Scott.
These projects are fully funded, partly from the desegregation settlement, and the rest from refinanced bonds.
“That refinancing will allow us to put together a total of $80 million,” said Guess.
Some parents are anxious to see these changes for their kids.
“I think all kids will learn better when they have a better environment to learn in,” said Wall.
Mills High School hopes to be complete by December 2017, and the old HS building will be ready for middle schoolers by summer 2018.
Robinson Middle School will not be ready until 2018.
All of these dates are projections because Dr. Guess says it's still too early to give exact dates.