The District 64 Board of Education held a special meeting on Wednesday, March 6th, at Franklin Elementary School.
The District Administration presented an updated and refreshed Master Facilities Plan to the School Board. After mindful consideration, the admin team removed several items that significantly reduced the estimated cost. The Board agreed that the items presented will go to the Community Task Force for further discussion and vetting.
At this point, the plans for each school continue to be very fluid as we research more, gather data, and have important conversations. The plans are still in the beginning stages and will be updated frequently.
“In the grand scheme of things, 25 years from now, we want people to say they did it right. They put it in the right spot, as opposed to walking around the schools, and a lot of times we’re like, ‘why is it like this? Why is this here?” said Superintendent Dr. Ben Collins.
There was a significant discussion about the needs at our elementary schools. Highlighted was the fact that many of our elementary buildings have spaces where multiple staff members share the same space. For instance, at Franklin, occupational therapists and a psychologist share the same space, two social workers share a space, four special education teachers share the same space and have to utilize the hallway, and three English Language (EL) teachers utilize the same room and have to pull students into the hallway as well.
“So on paper, we, of course, can have four adults in one classroom,” said Franklin Principal Kristin Williams. “But when you start to see each adult having five kids, now we’re talking 20 students, and all of the groups are working on something different.”
“At times, too, we are working with students with varying needs,” said Williams. “We might be working with a population of students who are easily distracted. We might have a population of students who are trying to acquire English, and we could maybe grow at a more rapid rate if we could hear better, understand the lessons better, and have fewer distractions.”
There was also an update on the facility plans for the middle schools. As with everything, it’s important to note that all of this is contingent on funding that we don’t have right now. The planning has centered around updating the classrooms to fit the needs of 21st-century learning.
Emerson Notes:
- There would be space for Industrial Tech classrooms, a shared office space, and storage. The Life Skills (Special Education) space would be on the first floor because it’s great for accessibility. We talked about adding an ADA bathroom, a kitchenette, and laundry equipment for the students in that area.
- Also, it was proposed that every science lab look the same for all middle school grades. This would give the space functionality and flexibility to adapt to the student population over the years.
- Prep rooms in between the labs and offices
- Adding a small addition at Emerson for band and orchestra so those electives could be offered during the school day.
- Upgrading the broadcast facility and area.
Lincoln Notes:
- With the funding secured by selling bonds for Phase 1 at Lincoln, there has been a lot of planning to get the most out of construction during the summers of 2024 and 2025 so that the self-contained autism program (SLC) can be ready for students.
- Collaborative spaces for staff to meet with each other and students
- Upgrading the broadcast classroom so it’s the same as the upgraded Emerson one.
- Also, it was proposed that every science lab look the same for all middle school grades. This would give the space functionality and flexibility to adapt to the student population over the years.
- Prep rooms in between the labs and offices
Superintendent Dr. Ben Collins has been organizing a Community Task Force that will meet on March 18th. This meeting will allow numerous people with various backgrounds and expertise to offer feedback and recommendations to Dr. Collins regarding the Master Facilities Plan.