Members of the school board are reviewing the Paly renovations master plan after discussing them in a meeting Tuesday night.

Architect Erwin Lee of Deems Lewis McKinley Architecture presented the major components of the master plan. Then, members of the board asked questions about the plan.

In addressing a question from board member Camille Townsend, Paly Principal Jacqueline McEvoy described how the priorities for the projects were established.

“The first thing we looked at were spaces that served students and teachers,” McEvoy said. “In my discussions with students, they were interested in the weight room and the role that plays in PE. Not only is it a teaching station, it is an interior teaching station during rainy season… the theater was moved up because it provides a space for not only the students but for the community.”

According to McEvoy, a new 24-classroom building in the master plan will have classrooms on the outside of the building and offices on the inside, similar to the design of the 300 building.

“With the new building, the teachers made it clear that they wanted the Pod [300 building] design,” McEvoy said.

According to the plans, this new classroom building will contain social studies and math classrooms, which allows for alternative uses of the 300 and 700 buildings, the current social studies and math department buildings.

“Special Ed[ucation classes] might move to either building 300 or 700,” McEvoy said.

A temporary library might also be set up in one of these buildings while the current library is renovated.

“It is likely that the library could move temporarily to the 700 building,” McEvoy said.

McEvoy also discussed possible uses of new science facilities that will replace the current science offices.

“The new lab will be more of a multi-purpose lab; any of the sciences can be taught there,” McEvoy said.

The school board’s chief business officer, Bob Golton, addressed possible effects that the new high speed rail from San Diego to San Francisco would have on Paly. The rail would pass near the current 300 and 400 buildings.

“Noise is an issue, dust is an issue,” Golton said.

After the board members’ questions were answered, community members were allowed to address the board. The new performing arts center was a major topic of the community members’ speeches.

Holly Ward, a Paly parent and president of the Paly theater booster, requested that the designing of the theater start earlier than other projects with the same priority as the theater.

“At least the design of the theater should be moved up to Group 2 [the second group of projects to be completed],” Ward said. “A theater will take a lot longer to design [than a classroom building.]”

Superintendent Kevin Skelly echoed Ward’s sentiment.

“Design work on the performing arts center can’t wait,” Skelly said. “It is more complicated than classrooms.”

According to Golton, Ward’s ideas were already implemented and design of the theater will start soon.

“We want to go after it right away,” Golton said.

Theater teacher Kathleen Woods and Choir Director Michael Najar both spoke about the importance of the new theater as an instructional space and listed the inadequacies of the Haymarket Theater, choir room and band room.

Woods’s and Najar’s comments left board member Melissa Baten Caswell worried about teaching facilities for Paly’s performing arts classes.

“I’m concerned about the teaching of performing arts,” Caswell said. “We could end up pouring a lot of money into it and still not fulfilling the needs of performing arts programs.”

The plans and a preliminary contract with Lee will be brought to the board again for action on March 31.