Facility Master Plan Proposal
Guided by a recommendation from the Facility Master Planning (FMP) Committee and through informal feedback from the Board and Community throughout the process, a facilities framework is being proposed for consideration by the Board.
That framework includes the following:
- 9 newly constructed, 4-section schools
- Arthur, Cleveland, Coolidge, Erskine, Harrison, Hoover, Jackson, Pierce, Wright (Note: renovation considerations for Harrison)
- 1 newly constructed, 3-section school
- Johnson
- 3 renovated, 4-section schools
- Grant, Hiawatha, Viola Gibson
- 8 elementary schools repurposed/phased out
- Garfield, Grant Wood, Kenwood, Madison, Nixon, Taylor, Truman, Van Buren
The Elementary Facility Master Plan cost is estimated at $224,234,064.00 and will be funded through the proposed extension of the statewide penny option tax known as the Secure an Advanced Vision for Education (SAVE) fund. It may also include funding related to the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL). If passed, funds will be available for use to implement the plan in July 2020.
The FMP Committee has proposed a tiered approach to the work as a recognition that due to the length of the implementation plan, it will be necessary to intermittently review the existing conditions related to facilities and adjust or pause plans accordingly.
Tier 1 includes Arthur, Coolidge, and Jackson schools. It is also the case that the Board will expect reports from the Superintendent approximately 3 times each year on progress being made regarding the implementation of the framework.
The Board desires that this continue to be a collaborative process. As such, it is expected that for each school, there will be a process in place that engages the community, with a focus on those most impacted by each school, in providing feedback on the future of the facility. The Board will work with the City of Cedar Rapids to develop a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to formalize the collaboration which will occur between the entities through the FMP implementation process. This will be an expectation for newly constructed schools, renovated schools, and schools that are being repurposed/closed. More specifically, community engagement conversations are scheduled to begin on this approximate timeline:
- Coolidge – January, 2019 (co-planning community hub school)
- Jackson – January, 2020 (co-planning community hub school)
- Truman – January, 2021 (repurposing conversations)
Pre-planning of framework implementation will begin prior to and in preparation for the community engagement conversations. Upon completion of Coolidge, Jackson, and the repurposing of Truman, the Board would review the next steps in the process, guided by the approximate Tiers recommended by the Facility Master Planning Committee, as well as proposed Board Procedure 802a related to facility planning, and determine if a pause or adjustments to the plan should be considered.