BEDFORD -- The Bedford County School Board on Monday voted to enter into negotiations with Jamerson & Sons Inc. to finalize a contract for renovating and expanding Jefferson Forest High School.

The board voted 6-0, with Huddleston representative David Black absent, to negotiate with Jamerson. The board hopes to bring a contract to the county's board of supervisors by April 1. Supervisors, who allocated funds to the school board, must approve the contract before construction can proceed.

Another contractor, English Construction Co., also had submitted a bid under the state's Public-Private Educational Facilities and Infrastructure Act of 2002. As part of the terms of the bids, only the price tag of the bid accepted by the school system is usually made public.

Jamerson's proposal initially called for keeping the school's original gymnasium but adding bleachers to accommodate the school's projected 1,600-student enrollment. At the request of the school board, plans for a new, competitive-size gym were added to the proposal.

The bid also includes a new auditorium and a new math and science wing in front of the school.

The school's tennis courts and softball field would be relocated behind the school under the proposal, and bus traffic would be rerouted to let students off in the back. A new facade and front entrance would also be added, as well as an array of electrical, plumbing, heating and air conditioning, and security system upgrades.

The project was originally estimated by Jamerson to cost about $34.9 million and could be completed by December 2008 if work starts in June.

"There's a revised price," Big Island school board representative Bill Wiese said of the updated bid, but the school board wouldn't disclose the new estimate.