The Little Rock School District is nearing a decision on whether to proceed with opening a new middle school in west Little Rock.
District and state officials are assessing the viability of purchasing an existing building near property it owns in west Little Rock for the new school.
Superintendent Baker Kurrus says he should know by the end of the month whether a plan can proceed to open a school by the 2016/2017 school year.
"That's our challenge, not just to open a sixth grade out there, but to have a plan for a seventh and eighth grade, and have it all come together on budget, on time,” he said.
Before the state takeover of the district, the now dissolved Little Rock School Board came to a compromise to construct a middle school in west Little Rock.
Kurrus said he is still in conversation with residents interested in developing a school in the southwest and both are equally important to him.
