After a pandemic, derecho, and pause phase from the board-approved 2018 Facilities Master Plan, it’s time to start implementing the progressive work of building new, much-needed learning environments! One new elementary school has been recently built, one more elementary school is near completion, and others are planned for the near future and beyond.

Our Facilities Master Plan Taskforce, composed of community members, parents, and staff, has been hard at work the last several months looking at all the options and providing an elementary school amendment recommendation to the CRCSD board of education on March 28, 2022, and currently preparing for an upcoming secondary school recommendation to the board on May 9, 2022.

Beyond the task force input, two community update sessions were held on February 8, 2022, and a recording was posted on the Facilities Master Plan webpage with a linked form to provide feedback. Presentations and question/answer forums were also held at the following elementary school locations:

  • Tuesday, March 8, 7 p.m.—Madison Elementary School
  • Wednesday, March 9, 6 p.m.—Arthur Elementary School
  • Tuesday, March 22, 6 p.m.—Harrison Elementary School
  • Wednesday, March 23, 6 p.m.—Garfield Elementary School

These dates and times were sent in a communication to all families, included in the CRCSD Friday newsletter, posted on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and reported multiple times on a local news station.

“While much of the decision-making process is based on enrollment data trends and financial data around maintenance and repair costs, we know that there is an emotional component to these decisions also,” said Superintendent Noreen Bush. “Our beloved schools hold many memories and we try to balance those emotions with the need for progressive learning environments, state-of-the-art facilities, and fiscal responsibility to the taxpayer. All voices are considered before making the proposed recommendations to the board.”

Recap of recent recommendation and upcoming next steps

Here are recent key steps in our Facilities Master Plan that began in 2018 with board approval of the original plan:

Elementary Schools Amendment Approved by Board on March 28, 2022:

It was recommended that the Board of Education approve the following Amendment to the Facility Master Plan.

Construct a new elementary school on the Arthur Annex for 500-600 students and seek and architectural RFP in the Spring of 2022 with the goal of opening in Fall of 2024

  • Plan for the combination of Arthur and Garfield attendance areas
  • Plan for the neighborhood needs and design with the neighborhood in mind
  • Plan for the repurposing of the current Arthur and Garfield buildings and collaborate with community and historical entities on the historical nature of the repurposing.

Prioritize Harrison and Madison combination project as a second project with the goal to seek an architectural RFP in the Fall of 2022 with the goal of opening in Fall of 2025

  • Organize a subcommittee to consider renovation at Harrison OR a new build at Madison
  • Plan for the combination of Harrison and Madison attendance areas
  • Plan for the neighborhood needs and design with the neighborhood in mind
  • Plan for the repurposing of the buildings once the direction is chosen

Recommendation for Secondary Schools – May 9, 2022

The Facilities Master Plan task force has been meeting regularly to prepare for a secondary schools recommendation to the CRCSD board of education that will occur May 9, 2022.

For more detailed information of recent activity and information, please visit the Facilities Master Plan webpage