Eliminating outdoor pod classrooms and renovating existing classroom spaces with modern touches within Kennedy Junior High School might still be a year away, but planning on the project is underway within Naperville School District 203.
The Naperville 203 Board of Education on Monday, June 16, approved the recommended scope and project timeline for the school, which has an estimated $7 million price tag attached to the forthcoming work.
Outdoor pod elimination, indoor classroom renovations
Last fall, the Naperville 203 board had approved an overall capital improvement plan list for the 2024-25 school year. It included a package of projects; Kennedy was included on that list.
However, two months later, as 2024 was giving way to 2025, Naperville 203 administrators recommended an amendment to the 2024-25 school year plan, shifting the earmarked improvements at Kennedy to Madison Junior High School. The change-up was approved in January.
Wight and Co., which has an ongoing contractual relationship with Naperville 203, recommended a large-scale list of improvements at Kennedy, which prompted the decision to delay the work by a year to tackle the full scope of it in one fell swoop.
The project plans, which could go to bid this fall and are expected to take place next summer, include the following components:
- Increasing interior classroom spaces, thereby eliminating the need for outdoor pod classrooms
- Renovating current Family and Consumer Science (FACS) classroom space to meet modern instructional needs
- Relocating Project Lead the Way (PLTW) classrooms to the interior courtyard area of the school building, which has been deemed “underutilized” and “inaccessible,” according to a district memo
- Installing four full-size classrooms within the current PLTW wing of Kennedy
Board of Education lauds administrators for comprehensive plan
Prior to casting the vote at the recent meeting, several members of the Naperville 203 board of education praised administrators for considering the big picture and honing in on the larger-scale improvements at Kennedy all at once so the work is done as efficiently as possible.
“I really appreciate the foresight to flip these plans, make this comprehensive Kennedy plan, and get rid of the outdoor pods,” board member Holly Blastic said. “It’s really wonderful for the staff and the students. I’m really thrilled to see that you took the time to plan and achieve this plan.”
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