NATCHEZ — The Natchez-Adams School Board voted Tuesday to hire Jackson architecture firm M3A to design a new high school and look at other options.

NASD Superintendent Fred Butcher said M3A was hired at a cost of 6 percent of the project cost.

Building consultant Volkert, Inc., previously estimated constructing a new high school building would cost approximately $42 million. Butcher said Tuesday the district hoped to spend less than Volkert’s estimate.

At $42 million, M3A would be paid approximately $2.5 million for the completed project. Butcher said the firm, which is the only architect that met with the board, would be paid in increments for progress along the way.

Butcher said the district is in an exploratory phase with building a new school and he does not yet know the maximum the district can spend.

“We just put a lot of scenarios on the table today, and we are trying to match the scenarios up with cost figures,” he said. “Whatever we will do, it will depend on the cost.”

The specially called meeting Tuesday with the architects mostly centered on questions concerning building a new high school — including classroom space and lab space. But the board also asked questions about all of the schools in the district to keep all the options on the table.

Other options include renovating the current high school, renovating Frazier Elementary School and building a new elementary school. School board member Phillip West said the board also asked M3A to look at construction options for all of the schools.

Though all options are still available, West said building a high school, if financially possible, is the priority for the board.

“(M3A) has a lot of experience in this area, and that is very helpful in terms of building schools,” he said. “I was very impressed with the firm and its presentation.

“We are just trying to work through the process now to try to reach a decision at some point with what we can do as it relates to upgrading facilities in the district.”

Butcher said he asked M3A to plan a school for approximately 1,200 students. Firm principal William McElroy said the classrooms would be designed large enough so seating could be up to 28, if growth was needed, though he said 25 per classroom was standard.

Natchez High School Principal Tony Fields said one of his biggest concerns is making sure computer labs were a concentration in facility planning.

“We use technology so much now that our technology infrastructure has to be a top priority,” Fields said. “We need to utilize those labs for instructional purposes as well as our assessments. All of our assessments are done using technology now, so the more technology we have, the better.”

A state-of-the-art facility would help attract teachers, who often get discouraged when they come to Natchez and see the current high school, built in 1961, and its open layout, Fields said.

Rainy, cold days can be miserable for students and staff who must walk outside to get around on campus, he said.

“As a community, it is time for us to move forward with the times,” Fields said. “I believe once we get everything together the community should really rally behind it.

“Our kids are worth it. They are worth the investment.”

In Jackson, M3A designed Blackburn Middle School and Henry J. Kirksey Middle School. Both are two-story schools designed for 650 students.

The company also designed the Union Parish Middle and High School, designed for 1,200 students. The Union Parish project also involves Volkert, Inc. Another Louisiana school, Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, was designed by M3A for 600 students in Monroe.