New Prattville Kindergarten School to move in this fall amid vandalism issue 

Malia Riggs 

Elmore Autauga News  

The Prattville Kindergarten School, or PKS, is standing tall and sturdy as the new school is set to open its doors this coming fall.  

With 32 classrooms in total, 28 for kindergarten and four for preschool, the school will be able to accommodate over 600 kids. Construction crews are working diligently to meet the fast-approaching deadline for the new state-of-the-art kindergarten school in Prattville.  

“This is a great opportunity for parents to see that our board and community members value education and to provide our kids with the best education possible,” Superintendent of Autauga County Schools Lyman Woodfin said. 

However, there have been some setbacks with vandalism within the new facility taking place in larger areas like the gym. A mix of spray paint, holes, stealing or improperly using equipment and creating damage have taken place in the recent weeks. Even with the setbacks, that has not slowed the construction crew down in finishing the building right on target.  

Due to the contract with the contractors building the facility, the vandalism falls under their contract and Autauga County Schools, ACS, currently has no financial responsibility for the vandalism at this time. That will change when ACS are handed the keys to the facility, Woodfin confirmed.  

“We’re going to start making cases and when we catch them, I promise you, we will place the full respect of the law and press charges. We won’t tolerate it,” Woodfin said.  

Even with the vandalism, PKS is set to open in August in the old location, however Autauga County Schools will receive the keys at the end of September if things go according to plan this summer.   

Originally the move in process was going to be after Christmas to ensure all teachers, staff and students had the time to adjust to the new building, but with the recent vandalism the sooner ACS is in the building, the better according to Woodfin.   

Cameras are being installed and ACS does not anticipate any further issues regarding vandalism.  

“The vandalism and the warranty have really highlighted the fact that the quicker we can get in here the better. The longer we let the building sit unoccupied, we don’t know if something has popped up in the transition. If we get the keys at the end of September, we’re hoping to have a transition place maybe at the end of October,” Woodfin said.  

Woodfin went on to state that it would give them time to hire a moving company to then move everything from the old school to the new one. This will lead to having some virtual days, however Woodfin stated parents will be notified well in advance.  

“This building is going to allow our kids to be kids in a little more space. We love the old kindergarten and we’re still going to try to use it in some way. But here there will be better technology, more reliable internet and space for kids to be kids,” Woodfin said.  

While leaving tradition behind can be difficult, the old Prattville Kindergarten School building was built in the early 1900’s and wearing out the current budget of ACS. The new facility has the opportunity to create new and lasting traditions, just like the old building has done for decades.  

The entrance, the windows and the copula from the old PKS building are reflected in the new building, taking the nostalgic elements and placing them front and center in the new facility.  

“The biggest challenge is just of the sentimental value of the previous building. I know a lot of our teachers and families want to stay there. I get it, my grandfather taught agriculture in that facility and my grandparents lived across the street. So, you know, I get the sentimental side,” Woodfin said.  

The new PKS building will be able to facilitate state of the art technology that is specifically built to focus on early childhood development with a strict focus of a kindergartner in mind. Teachers will have child friendly resources in terms of furniture, teaching materials, playgrounds and more, Woodfin confirmed.  
 
Rebecca Thomas, the communications coordinator for Autauga County Schools, hinted that it’s better to build from the ground up than to retrofit a building that has served as many other things throughout the years including a junior high. 

The new building will have all the new bells and whistles while keeping the love and learning tradition alive from the old building, but in the walls of the new one.