Jasper School Board pondering elementary school problems and solutions
Jasper — Gibraltar Design, an Indianapolis-based architectural firm, presented the Greater Jasper Consolidated School Board four options for proceeding with updates to the corporation’s three elementary schools at a public work session Wednesday night.
Gibraltar conducted a comprehensive study of the three elementary schools in March. In May, Jim Thompson, president of Gibraltar Design, told the board the three schools were inadequate under current Department of Education standards in regards to the amount of space necessary for the student populations and current educational practices.
Fifth Street has 68,700 square feet; 14,000 square feet below what it needs given its student population. Tenth Street has 87,580 square feet; 8,000 square feet below what it needs. Ireland has 67,560 square feet; 13,300 square feet below what it needs.
During the meeting on Wednesday, Thompson presented four options to the board on bringing the corporation up to standards.
The first option involved updating all three schools to the current DOE requirements in addition to extensive upgrades to the mechanical, electrical and technological infrastructure as well as increasing the size of each school. To achieve this, Gibraltar estimated the improvements would cost up to $27,775,000.
For the second option, the corporation could close Tenth Street School, convert Fifth Street to a K-5 elementary school (the school handles K-3 currently) to handle 450 students, modify Ireland to handle up to 550 students and build a new elementary school for 500 students. The cost for this option was estimated at $34,879,000.
The third option allowed that for about $33,752,000, the corporation could close both Tenth Street and Fifth Street Schools, expand Ireland to handle 750 students and build a new elementary school for 750 students.
Or, the final option; for about $31,721,000, the corporation could close both Tenth Street and Fifth Street Schools, expand Ireland to handle 600 students and build a new elementary school to handle 900 students.
Tenth Street was put on the chopping block in each of the firm’s options due to space and configuration restrictions put in place by the construction of the building and its location.
The board favored the option to close Tenth and Fifth and build a new facility to house 750 students as well as increasing the size of Ireland to handle 750 students but were concerned with increasing the size of the student populations in two schools. Currently the corporation has about 555 enrolled at Ireland, 408 enrolled at Fifth Street and 339 enrolled at Tenth Street.
The corporation is facing prospective updates to the schools’ HVAC systems regardless of any decisions made on the options presented. Scott Stenftenagel of the Stenftenagel Group in Jasper, attended the meeting. The board requested he complete a list of top priorities in regards to repairs and refurbishment of the existing facilities to be presented at September’s meeting.
A prospective timeline was introduced that included a referendum being placed on the May ballot but the board reiterated it would not be rushing into a decision without community involvement.
Meetings will be scheduled for each elementary school to hear concerns from those affected by any decisions and public forums will also be planned.
Where in the world would all that money come from…
The people in Huntingburg could tell you.
I guess education is not important to some. Lack of suitable facilities does not necessitate learning. Overcrowding, lack of technology, etc. All things that the GJCS schools have. Jasper is expanding, and we need to have schools that can facilitate learning.
Put it all on the schools, that’s right. They’re become responsible now for essentially raising our kids way beyond the “three Rs”…way too much…and when kids fail it’s the school’s fault (not). What “we need” is parents…parents to assume/resume THEIR roles in the family at a much earlier age, more consistently, foundationally, etc., by instilling values, wholesome habits and examples FOR learning, so that schools indeed can facilitate the real learning they’re meant for…which is not raising the child and trying to do it all while parents abdicate. It’s nothing to do with facilities in the way you’re making it, and for that matter you’re right – indeed “real education is not important to some,” if not many.