Pick Educational and Volunteer Facility at Fort Leonard Wood to close for the 2020-21 school year

(Fort Leonard Wood)–Due to reduced state revenues, the Waynesville School District will temporarily close Pick Educational and Volunteer Facility at Fort Leonard Wood for the 2020-21 school year. Existing staff and students will be sent to other facilities, resulting in a projected savings of approximately $290,000 for the district. School district superintendent, Dr. Brian Henry, says, “The good news is that we will continue to offer the high level of services our patrons have come to expect and no one will lose their jobs; administrators and custodial staff will transition to other buildings where there are open positions. Alternative school teachers will transfer to the middle school and high school where alternative students will attend a ‘school within a school’ to maintain the small-school environment.” The Community Resource Office, including AmeriCorps, will move to nearby Williams Early Childhood Center’s back hallway that is not being utilized by the center. Approximately 45 students who would normally attend Pick Alternative School will return to the middle or high school, depending upon their grade level. Students enrolled in the alternative school will eat lunch and transition between periods on a different schedule than their peers to maintain the small-setting atmosphere to help them succeed.