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School project: Project puts MS pupils ‘a few feet’ from robotics, tech spaces, more teachers
News · January 12, 2017
Editor’s note: This is the second week in a five-week series asking members of the West Branch Board of Education about the proposed $19.11 million referendum and the $20 million to $21 million addition project. A vote on the referendum is set for Feb. 7.
This week’s question: How many square feet would the additions build, how many square feet would be lost by razing the middle school, and what are the educational benefits of moving the fifth- through eighth-grade pupils to other buildings?
Board President Mike Colbert is answering:
“The new elementary school addition is approximately 15,000 square feet. This will facilitate the return of fifth grade to the elementary building and allow room for growth.
The fifth-grade move to the middle school was intended to be a temporary solution to stop using portable buildings for educational needs until a longer term solution was found.
Looking at parent comments, curriculum, principal input, and other districts, it was obvious that fifth grade is a better fit in the elementary school than the high school and should return to the elementary building.
Our proposal is to move the sixth through eighth-grade students into a new addition at the high school.
Having sixth- through eighth-grade students a few feet from advanced robotics and science labs, vocational agriculture and industrial tech spaces, art studios, foreign language teachers, business teachers, well-designed music rooms, and a usable performing arts center allows for more flexibility in current and future curriculum offerings.
It will allow students more opportunities for exploration helping them to find new areas of interest.
The current middle school building (approximately 24,000 square feet) will be removed to prevent ongoing maintenance costs for an empty building without purpose for the foreseeable future.
Additionally, this was the only option to improve safety by moving the elementary entrance from Oliphant Street.
At the high school, there will be about 38,000 square feet of new space, which includes a nine-room middle school addition (about 12,000 square feet).
By eliminating redundant music rooms, offices, and libraries, the middle school addition can be smaller than our existing middle school.
Middle school students will also have access to shared spaces, allowing us to realize the benefits of a consolidated middle school-high school campus.
Additionally, approximately 15,000 square feet of space will be renovated, including replacing the original HVAC system.”
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