A bond for $100 million has been in the works with USD231 since April 2024. An election over the bond will be happening about a year from that, on April 1, 2025. There are many things that this money will be used on, including a new elementary school, an early childhood education center, classrooms and learning spaces, a new district service center, improvements for special education and playgrounds, improvements for the high school, better safety and security, and an addition to the TRAILS building. Almost all of the information in this story comes from usd231.com.
The new elementary school is meant to be 78,500 square feet. It is said that it will be a modern, state-of-the-art learning environment for students who go there. It will accommodate 525 students and help with overcrowding in schools as Gardner continues to grow. It will also aid in repurposing Sunflower Elementary School as an early childhood education center.
The new education center will be designed to cater to young learners’ needs with things like sensory rooms and play areas meant to promote exploration and help with development. This early childhood center is meant to help enhance children’s readiness for kindergarten by providing a high-quality early learning experience. This will also allow for there to be fewer students in elementary schools, thus further helping with the overcrowding problem.
There will be upgrades for classrooms and learning spaces as well, such as replacing mulch with turf surfacing to create a safer and more hygienic play environment for children. They will also use the money to create a new, more modern playground that encourages more interactive and developmental play.
The construction of a new district service center is also meant to eliminate overcrowding at the current facility, as well as resolve existing storage challenges. Since this increased storage space will enable bulk purchasing of supplies, it will likely result in the district saving money in the long run. Consolidating different support departments, such as IT, into a centralized office space will also enhance collaboration and communication between different departments, thus leading to better efficiency between them.
Enhanced learning environments with renovated special education spaces are also a part of the plan for the bond. They are meant to help create engaging learning environments that help with accommodating students’ individual needs. Upgraded furniture and equipment to help with comfort and functionality are also in the plan for the bond, as well as accessible and inclusive playgrounds. These renovated playgrounds feature equipment designed to accommodate children of all abilities, promoting inclusion and more social interaction for all types of students.
There are plans for improvements for the High School with the bond money as well. One of these plans is a modernized dining space where the central dining commons will get updated flooring, furniture, and lighting. This is meant to create a more welcoming and functional environment for students. The seating capacity of the existing space will also be increased to accommodate more students during peak times. These will come with a renovation of the kitchen and servery spaces as well. It will also allow for more outstanding dining options for students that are said to provide them with a broader variety of healthy and appealing food choices.
The safety upgrades are also a big part of the plan for this bond. They are said to allow for modernized camera systems that will help with getting better surveillance coverage of key areas. A state-of-the-art access control system will also regulate entry into school buildings, thus helping children and faculty stay safe. Protective window film, or security window film, is also meant to help with that.
The TRAILS building, which is located on the GEHS campus, is also planned to have security upgrades to allow for a more safe and secure environment. There will also be a building expansion there that will help increase the facility’s capacity. This addition will include new classroom environments, conference space, restrooms, and storage.
All of these accommodations seem to be helpful in some way to the students and staff in the district, but there are many things to think about for the upcoming bond election. It is important to do research about it and really think about what’s good for the district as a whole before voting.
