Facilities ideas: learning, funding, combining

   Committee work, survey results, and potential plans for remodeling or combining buildings within the district were topics at the third meeting regarding the Red Oak School district’s facilities.

One hundred four people gathered at the Gold Fair Building Wednesday, April 20, to provide input and receive updates.

After a brief description updating progress in the planning process, moderator Daric O’Neal of Alley Poyner Macchietto discussed the results of a recent poll done with middle school students on upgrades they’d like to see in the building.

Among the top changes students would like to see were better use of technology, eliminating the multi-level structure of the building so there were no stairs, additional windows, and more comfortable chairs and learning spaces.

O’Neal and committee members then discussed results of the meetings of the first four committee meetings for Activities, STEAM, Learning Spaces, and Finance. Among the needs and wants noted by the Activities committee were having all the school’s athletic fields in one location, bigger gyms, locker rooms for the home and visiting teams, an upgraded weight room, and building stronger partnerships with the YMCA and City of Red Oak.

Committee member Sharon Johnson then spoke to the crowd on needs and wants of the STEAM committee. STEAM is an acronym of science, technology, engineering, visual arts and agriculture, and math. Johnson said the group discussed the addition of maker spaces, which are equipped for hands-on learning.

“The goal is to promote critical-thinking, creativity, communication, and collaboration,” Johnson said.

Other topics included classrooms and testing spaces, instructional classrooms that were separate from labs, STEAM instruction at the elementary was also discussed with further discussion slated for a future meeting.

Ann Gigstad spoke for the Learning Spaces committee. One issue noted at the middle school was noise levels. Gigstad said she noticed that when she was in the middle school, the rain was loud on the air conditioners, which made teaching hard.

“These are things we need to look at as we examine learning spaces, to make sure they are good for learning, and comfortable for our students,” she said.

The financial focus group included Ann Carder, Lee Fellers, and Roger Carlson. Carder gave an update on the school capitol improvement program, which included an addition to Washington Intermediate, an addition and renovation to Inman Primary, tech center funding, air conditioning at the high school and middle school, and an elevator at the middle school. The project was funded from a bond issue passed in 1999, and roughly $3 million remains on the $9.9 million bond.

Fellers discussed funding sources available for future projects, such as the penny sales tax, physical plant and equipment levy, and the voted physical plant and equipment levy. Carlson gave a presentation on the district’s expenses and noted operational costs for maintenance, supplies, and utilities were higher for Red Oak than the surrounding districts of Shenandoah and Clarinda, largely due to them operating from three buildings rather than five.

O’Neal discussed possibilities regarding renovations or merging of buildings for the public to consider. O’Neal said the concepts were taken from the focus groups to see how each would look moving forward. O’Neal stressed they were just ideas, and nothing was set in stone.

The first discussed was Washington Intermediate. O’Neal said the concept re-imagines Washington as the district office, rather than home to fourth and fifth grade students.

“The superintendent, business manager, and other offices that are currently operating from the technology center would move to this building and grades four and five would move to another building. We’d also move the facilities and transportation offices from Bancroft Elementary to this building,” said O’Neal.

The playground area would be converted, and the lot owned by the school south of the building would house the district’s buses.

The concept for Inman Primary converts it from kindergarten through third grade to a pre-kindergarten through fifth grade building.

“The concept would add additional classrooms to house the additional students. The bus lane would be modified for drop-offs, and there’s room for flexibility in the classrooms depending on the amount of students enrolled in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classrooms. Also, the lunchroom would have a small addition added to hold all the additional students,” commented O’Neal.

O’Neal said the building needed some work to make it more accessible by the public. “It’s very landlocked. There are four streets around it. We would need to increase parking if the building became a long-term part of the school facilities.”

Other renovations would include additions to the east and west side of the building for circulation and handicapped-accessible restrooms. The lunch room would be moved to the ground floor, and expansion in the building’s small classrooms.

The last concept moves the middle school grades to Red Oak High School, making it a grades 6-12 building.

“One of the challenges is that there are four main facades. There are circulation problems with the building. The entry would be enclosed to the current high school gym and the tech center. Additional classrooms would be added, space for music room storage, and the existing lunchroom would become a commons area. The classroom areas could be locked off from the public during evening activities as well,” O’Neal said.

The plans were posted to the wall and residents were given red dots to place on the concept or concepts that they liked the least.

Jan Burnison questioned why there were renovation plans for the middle school, and also a renovation plan for moving the middle school classes to the high school. O’Neal said the concepts were to present the public with both options to decide which choice they would prefer, and costs of each project would be outlined so the public could see what each project would mean financially for the district.

Larry Brandstetter asked whether the renovations could be paid for with a percentage of sales tax dollars. Carlson said it was a possibility, however some of the funding was earmarked for the district’s operational costs.

Clint Rubey suggested if the district elected to eliminate buildings that they have a plan for the structures no longer hosting classes.

The final community meeting will be at the White Fair Building May 25.