A move for Neuqua Valley freshmen, security upgrades, and improved special needs spaces are among the items on the to-do list within the Indian Prairie School District 204 master facility plan.
The preliminary plan was reviewed on Monday at the district’s board of education meeting.
Why Birkett freshmen may move back to Neuqua’s main campus
Neuqua Valley freshmen students may be making a move in the coming years from the school’s Birkett Freshman Center to the Neuqua Valley High School main campus.
The change is meant to put all high school students within three buildings and create a similar experience at all three IPSD 204 high schools.
“The plans for Neuqua are to provide some additional office space, which will clear up some student space in that building,” said Superintendent Dr. Adrian Talley at the board of education meeting. “From the plans that were shown, and they were shown to the principals of the schools, they liked what the additions would be, and would take care of Birkett coming over.”
District 204 is continuing to study how much expansion will be needed to accommodate the freshman class moving over.
Repurposing the Birkett Freshman Center
If the freshman class moves over to the main campus, the district has a plan for the empty Birkett building.
“Eventually down the road, and there is no timeline for this, at some point, we will be looking at repurposing Birkett and there may be the sunsetting on Wheatland and Indian Plains and ending the lease at STEPS,” said IPSD 204 board member Mark Rising at the board of education meeting.
The Birkett building is currently planned to take in the STEPS program and Gail McKinzie High School students as part of the master facility plan.
Updating safety and security at all Indian Prairie School District facilities
Another key focus of the plan is to improve security in all school buildings.
This includes having a proper secure vestibule at the entrance of every school, which will vary in look depending on the school and the space available.
The district is also currently moving forward with a plan to have full interior and exterior security cameras at every building by the end of the year.
Creating spaces and modern learning environments for students in District 204
The master facility plan also focuses on a personalized learning environment at all grade levels by creating dedicated spaces for collaboration.
This includes spaces for groups like English Language Learner (ELL) and advanced learning, as well as dedicated spaces for creative activities like music and art at the elementary level.
At the middle and high school level, there are shared and blended learning spaces for students for self-guided group work included in the plan.
Providing shared workspaces and consolidated department offices for teachers to free up learning space in classrooms is also proposed.
Metea Valley and Neuqua Valley high schools currently have a pilot program shared space, with a pilot elementary classroom planned by spring break.
Improving accommodations for special needs programs.
Self-contained classrooms at the elementary, middle, and high schools are also planned, to provide improved learning environments for students with disabilities.
Inclusive spaces to accommodate specific storage needs and other resources are also included.
Some other changes within the proposed plan are:
- Making energy-efficient and sustainable upgrades.
- Wellness improvements (fitness spaces, dining, and health).
- Focus on improving the oldest facilities (Waubonsie Valley High School, Hill Middle School, and Gregory Middle School).
Moving forward with the master facility plan
More specific details will be included in the full version of the master facility plan, which will be available next week, along with a public feedback window, on the Indian Prairie School District 204 website.
Final updates will be brought to the board at the Dec. 18 meeting, followed by the request for the adoption of the plan.
All schools will receive some form of renovation or new addition in the master facility plan, which is estimated at $875 million with a 10-20-year implementation schedule.
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