With only $14 million in hand, Richmond school leaders aren't sure how to start building a better district
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K. Burnell Evans, Richmond Times-Dispatch
Virginia:
July 23, 2017
-- A fresh crop of Richmond School Board members has inherited old problems, but whether they can be the group to correct them remains unclear. Discussions about shuttering George Mason — openly labeled by school officials as the worst building in the district’s portfolio — stoked both optimism and cynicism as the board prepares to confront the same obstacles that hobbled its predecessors.
Chief among them: The money isn’t there — at least not now. The district has only $14 million in capital funds reserved for planning and executing an overhaul that will likely include new construction. That number is unlikely to change significantly until at least 2023, when city officials hope to pay off some debt and take on more.
Proposed new school site in downtown Jeffersonville concerns judge
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Erin Walden, News and Tribune.com
Indiana:
July 11, 2017
-- JEFFERSONVILLE — As Greater Clark County Schools begins its hunt for a downtown Jeffersonville location for a new elementary school, some community members are voicing concerns over one site that has been named as a contender.
The lot on the corner of Meigs and Court avenues, where the gymnasium of the original Jeffersonville High School stands, has been suggested by Jeffersonville Mayor Mike Moore and named as a serious option to be considered by GCCS Superintendent Andrew Melin.
Greenwich Public Schools Facilities head moves on
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Emilie Munson, Greenwich Time
Connecticut:
July 10, 2017
-- GREENWICH — Greenwich Public School’s Director of Facilities Ronald Matten has accepted a position as executive director of Facilities for Hunter College in New York, the district announced Monday.
Portage plans $10.5 million renovations to high school
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Joyce Russell, NWI Times.com
Indiana:
July 10, 2017
-- PORTAGE — The western most portion of Portage High School West will undergo a $10.5 million renovation.
And, it won't cost taxpayers an additional dime.
"Not a lot of school systems can pull this off," said School Board President Andy Maletta.
He praised former superintendents Mike Berta, E. Ric Frataccia and Richard Weigel, along with current superintendent Amanda Alaniz and the district's financial team for being able to save money for the project.
Week Ahead: School Board to Review Potomac School Construction Plan
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Bethesda Magazine
Maryland:
July 10, 2017
-- The Montgomery County Board of Education will review Superintendent Jack Smith’s proposal to relocate students from Potomac Elementary School (PES) to a holding school while PES is renovated in 2018-2019. Smith noted in a memo to the board that the Radnor Holding Center in Bethesda, about 6.9 miles from Potomac Elementary, would be the best relocation spot. Some parents have opposed this plan, arguing that students should be able to remain at the Potomac school site while the renovation takes place.
Numerous school building upgrades under way in Norwalk
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Kevin Schultz, The Hour.com
Connecticut:
July 10, 2017
-- NORWALK — Unexpecting eyes passing West Rocks Middle School on Monday afternoon might have been taken aback to see the entire face of the south wing stripped away, leaving a clear view into the building’s interior.
But district officials say not to worry as the deconstruction of the building’s two-story wall of windows is a part of the first phase of a windows and door replacement project slated to take place at the school over the course of this and the following summer.
The construction project is just one of more than a dozen happening this summer across Norwalk Public Schools before even larger projects take place in the coming years, including the construction of the Ponus Ridge Magnet School and South Norwalk School campuses.
Voters to weigh in on repairs in North Middlesex school district
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Elizabeth Dobbins, Sentinel & Enterprise
Massachusetts:
July 10, 2017
-- This week and next voters will weigh in on three proposed debt exclusions that, if passed, would fund $17.7 million in repairs to three schools in North Middlesex Regional School District.
Elections will be held on Tuesday from noon to 7:30 p.m. in Ashby Elementary School. Townsend will hold elections the next week, July 18, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Memorial Hall.
Pepperell, the third town in the district, approved the ballot questions during an election last month.
Summer's not a time of rest for area schools
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Lisa Singleton-Rickman, Times Daily
Alabama:
July 10, 2017
-- If you think summer's a time of rest for area school personnel, think again.
School officials say summer is the busiest time of the year as they prepare for the 10-month school year in just eight weeks.
"I always have to laugh when people ask what we do all summer," said Sheffield Superintendent Keith Lankford.
"It's more like, what don't we do?"
The only missing factor during June and July in local schools is students filling the hallways. Even that seems to be happening earlier and earlier.
Newhall Board to consider additional space for Head Start program
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Christina Cox, The Santa Clarita Valley Signal
California:
July 10, 2017
-- A Head Start program located in the Castaic Union School district is considering moving its portable classroom to the Newhall school District’s Wiley Canyon Elementary School site.
The Newhall School District Governing Board is expected to review the modular placement, land-lease agreement and possible classroom rental for the Head Start program during its meeting Tuesday.
'Meaningful ways to start a whole new story': $200,000 grant for playground renovation
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Harmony Birch, Brattleboro Reformer
Vermont:
July 9, 2017
-- BELLOWS FALLS — Two years ago, Bellows Falls started its Promise Community Initiative, an investment that paid off recently when the Vermont Department of Children and Families awarded it a $200,000 grant for the renovation of the Central Elementary School playground.
"The grant isn't really about the playground," said Deb Witkus, community outreach coordinator for Greater Falls Connections, one of the collaborating partners in the initiative. "It's about rallying the community to make this positive change together."
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