Hoover school board tonight to consider sale of former Berry High School campus

The Hoover school board tonight is scheduled to consider selling the former Berry High School property on Columbiana Road to the Vestavia Hills Board of Education.

The Vestavia Hills school board last month offered to pay $11 million for the old Berry campus, and the offer is on the Hoover school board’s agenda under “action items.”

Hoover schools Superintendent Kathy Murphy on Friday would not say exactly what her recommendation to the school board will be. However, Murphy said “we certainly have a reasonable and fair offer on the table.”

Hoover school district officials have done their due diligence in regard to the offer from Vestavia Hills and been thorough in their review of it, Murphy said.

“You’ll hear me talk about that Monday evening,” she said.

The former Berry High School property takes up 35 to 40 acres off Columbiana Road and is nearly surrounded by Vestavia Hills. It ceased to be used as a high school after Hoover High opened in 1994.

The school was renovated and converted into Berry Middle School until a new middle school was built next to Spain Park High School.

It was home to Shades Mountain Elementary School during a 2008-09 renovation at Shades Mountain and currently is home to the Crossroads alternative school. The facility also is used as office space for some central office personnel and for teacher training. The University of Alabama at Birmingham also has used it for some classes.

Vestavia Hills Superintendent Sheila Phillips said school officials there know that Vestavia Hills High School is already at capacity, so officials are considering reconfiguring the grade levels at some schools to make room for growth.

That potentially could mean having a ninth-grade school or a school that serves grades 7-9, she said. No decisions about that would be made without a lot of research and input from the public, she said.

In addition to spending $11 million to buy the Berry property, Vestavia officials likely would need to spend $20 million to $21 million to renovate the school in phases, Phillips said.

The shell and structure of the building is strong, but some parts are better than others, she said. Because the school dates back to the 1960s and is so traditional in its design, a lot of redesigning may be necessary to meet current needs, Phillips said.

Hoover school officials have been evaluating where they would educate Crossroads alternative school students if their current building is sold, but Murphy has said they are considering using Hoover and Spain Park high school campuses at night for the Crossroads programs. Virtual, or online learning, is another option, she said.

In other business tonight, the Hoover school board is scheduled to consider the city of Hoover’s offer to pay $337,940 for 21 acres next to Hoover High School and Trace Crossings Elementary School.

The city wants to use the land for athletic fields at the city’s planned Sportsplex next to Hoover Metropolitan Stadium and for a secondary entrance to the complex, connecting to Learning Lane across from the entrance to Hoover High School.

Susan Salter, the Alabama Association of School Boards’ director of leadership development, is scheduled to share results of the Hoover school board’s first evaluation of Murphy, and Murphy plans to talk to the board about proposed capital expenditures.