BOE to discuss middle school facilities plan at June 27 meeting

The CH-UH City School District Board of Education plans to discuss the current middle school facilities renovation plan at its next board work session meeting, on Tuesday, June 27, at 7 p.m., in the Wiley campus cafeteria.

Community members are invited to attend the session to learn more about the status of the Monticello and Roxboro Middle school renovations, and provide feedback to board members as they approach the July 11 deadline for confirming plans with the design and construction team. However, the board will not facilitate a community discussion or hear additional proposals at the June 27 work session.

At the meeting, the board plans to confirm whether the current renovations plan, which is part of the larger Master Facilities Plan, is the right path for the district’s future. The board will also consider alternative paths as part of the discussion.

The current path includes a combined $30 million to spend on renovations at both middle schools, with each slated to reopen in August 2019.

The discussion is due diligence for the board, to ensure it is on the path that the community desires for the middle school renovations.

The two main factors that led to the reconsideration of the current plan include improving educational outcomes—the district’s main objective—and working within its current budget.

The district originally expected to have $38 million, to cover the hard costs of the renovations at Monticello and Roxboro Middle schools. Due to many latent issues and unforeseen conditions at the Wiley Enabling site and the Heights High renovation, this budget number has decreased to $30 million.

The modest renovations currently slated for the two middle schools are not necessarily as extensive as what was originally expected when the facilities bond issue was passed in 2013, though no decisions have been made outside of what was passed by voters at that time.

If the board decides to explore an alternative path for the middle schools, the renovated buildings would open in August 2020.

Other considerations include: a major renovation (approximately $25–27 million) on one building and a light renovation (approximately $3–5 million) on the second building; a reexamination of the current Master Facilities Plan using community-solicited input; and grade banding options, allowing for 5–6 and 7–8, or 6–7–8 grades at the middle schools.

The architects and construction manager presented to district administration the possibility of renovating the Wiley building, to [again] use it as a middle school. However, the administration and the board of education agree that using Wiley, and closing either Monticello or Roxboro Middle schools, deviates too far from the plan that was passed by voters in 2013.

The 2013 Master Facilities Plan also called for Fairfax and Noble Elementary schools to be closed during Phase 2 of the plan. Currently, there are no plans to alter this course; if the district did want to change these plans, the board would solicit extensive community input to make this decision.

For more information about the Design Development Narrative for each building from the architects at Moody Nolan, including what is involved in both major and minor renovations, and to learn about what you can do as a parent or community member, visit the district’s website, www.chuh.org.

[Editor’s note: This article is a shortened version of press release posted on the CH-UH City School District’s website, at www.chuh.org/protected/ArticleView.aspx?iid=6GBIPB2&dasi=3Y2I.]

Scott Wortman

Scott Wortman is the supervisor of communications for the Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District.

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Volume 10, Issue 7, Posted 1:14 PM, 06.13.2017