Staff writer
In a presentation Sept. 14 to Centre USD Board of Education, two representatives from Wilson and Company, a Salina engineering and architectural firm, painted a bleak picture of the elementary school building at Lost Springs.
The building houses pre-kindergarten through fourth grade students.
The board requested the report as part of an ongoing investigation into possible relocation of the elementary school to the junior/senior high school site.
In a written report from the company, the authors claimed the content of the curriculum is often limited due to the existing classroom sizes and design.
The report went on to say, “the average teacher cannot be effective working in classroom conditions that do not meet the minimum National Adequacy Standards as they can in state-of-the-art facilities.”
It cited art teachers as an example, who “make-do” with a lack of storage space for art supplies and artwork in progress and have no sink in the classroom.
Music rooms, computer labs, media centers, and general education classrooms also were cited as inadequate.
“Poor school design and substandard physical conditions reduce the time available for teaching and learning,” the study says.
It cites lack of enough restroom facilities and drinking fountains as well as lack of specially equipped classrooms.
“Inadequate lighting, noise and sound issues, and room temperatures adversely affect student achievement,” the study says.
“Currently, at both Centre Elementary and Centre Middle/High School, most light fixtures are antiquated, not energy efficient, and do not produce the required foot candle levels and need to be replaced.”
The study advised installing sound-absorbing wall and ceiling panels in several rooms in the two schools to reduce noise levels.
It said entrances are inadequate at CES, and doors do not have proper door hardware to go into lockdown. The main office is on the second floor, which does not meet ADA standards.
It recommended installing access for disabled persons to the second floor and relocating the main office to the first floor for security purposes.
The kitchen and cafeteria are described as “very small and inefficient — storage of food and supplies is minimal and the kitchen hood is not code compliant.”
According to the authors, the kitchen is not properly separated from the cafeteria, and not enough preparation area is available. The kitchen/cafeteria cannot be reconfigured in the present facility. It needs to be added on or built as a separate structure.
If relocated, elementary students would need their own kitchen and cafeteria, the study says, because present middle school facilities are not adequate to handle that many more students.
It was noted the longer a school district puts off changes, the more the changes will cost. However, the representatives acknowledged costs have come down in the past year.
The study presented three options: renovate the existing elementary school at an estimated cost of $2.3 to 2.6 million; construct a new elementary school at the middle/high school site for $2.8-3.2 million; or do nothing, with incalculable costs.
The representatives noted that any partial renovation the district may decide to do at Lost Springs would inevitably result in the need for total renovation.
They also said, given the present crisis in the state budget, the usual cost-share from the state for building or renovating structures might not be available in the future.
Enrollment
The study projected a decline in total student enrollment in the next five years from 232 in 2009-2010 to 215 in 2014-15.
Most of the impact will be in the middle school, grades five through eight, with a decline from 58 in 2009-10 to 40 in 2014-15, due to a drop in elementary school enrollment four years ago.
Other elementary and junior/senior high school classes are projected to experience slight drops.
This year’s second and third grades are small, with 10 and 9 students, respectively. The study says these classes could continue to decline over the next 10 years, requiring evaluation “to ensure that the students’ education needs and experiences can be met with such a small class.”
Advantages of relocation
The study lists the following advantages of relocation: reduction in transportation costs — one school pick-up/drop-off location, improved energy efficiency designed into a new building, reduction in staff travel between locations, reduced operational costs, enhanced learning environments, and ability to share resources and facilities on one school site.
The study suggests ways to put the building to use for the community if students are relocated. Such uses would still require adaptations, but such measures possibly could be paid for by other public funding.
The complete report is available for review at the district office in Lost Springs.