Bond Issue for Feb 2, 2016 to Support Next Phase of High School Expansion & Renovation

The next phase of the high school facing west from the current tennis courts features seven new classrooms, plus restrooms, collaboration spaces and the renovation of existing classrooms. This new entrance will serve students who ride buses to and from school.

Our district continues to grow. We currently have 4200 students in pre-Kindergarten through 12^th grades, including nearly 1200 students in our high school.  This is twice as many students in our district as we had just 11 years ago.

Prior to 2012, our high school building had a capacity of 850 students.  In 2012 the school district hosted public forums to address the needs of a much-overcrowded Grain Valley High School. Based on the input from stakeholders in these sessions, the School Board approved a long-range plan to double the square footage of the high school building and renovate the existing structure to provide the infrastructure, instructional space, and activity space needed to accommodate as many as 1600 high school students. This long-range plan has led to the passage of school bond issues in 2013 and 2014, resulting in additions and renovations to the southeast corner of the school. Improvements have also been made to the entrance and north plaza of the stadium. The next phase of the long range plan shifts attention to the northeast corner of the school.

The School Board has approved the placement of a $9.5 Million bond issue on the ballot for February 2, 2016 to allow for the next phase of work to our high school. Passage of this bond issue does not require raising the district tax levy rate.

This year’s bond issue for $9.5 Million will allow us to:

1. Add seven classrooms to the northeast corner of the high school, north of the science rooms added in 2013. Five of these will be larger classroom spaces for business labs, video broadcasting, and computer science. Smaller existing classrooms will be combined or expanded and renovated to create new larger classrooms for family and consumer science lab classrooms. New collaboration spaces and student restrooms are also included in the base bid.
2. Renovate approximately one-half of the classrooms and hallway spaces between these new business classrooms and the science classrooms that were constructed in 2013.

3.  Add a greenhouse to the southeast corner of the school, the outline of which was defined when new science classrooms were added in 2013.

4. Re-purpose the former transportation building into student activity space.

5. Add eight new tennis courts south of the school, west of the baseball and softball fields.
6. Add a plaza area with restrooms, concession stand, press box, and storage to support baseball, softball, and tennis.
7. Add 200 parking spaces south of the building for use as school and activity parking.
8. Renovations to the remainder of classrooms and hallways connecting this business classroom addition to previous phases, the addition of a practice field, a concrete hitting wall for tennis, the complete renovation of existing restrooms near the school office and commons area, plus additional parking (beyond the base bid 200 spaces) are included as alternative bids with this bond issue.

The work to transform our high school campus to meet our students’ needs into the future is going to take more phases over multiple years.  This phase continues the work of our long-range plan to have the classrooms and other facilities needed to meet the demand of a growing school district.

The election is Tuesday, February 2, 2016.

The bond issue on the ballot for Feb 2, 2016 will cover the classroom addition and renovation work shown in medium blue along the east (pictured right) side of the high school, as well as the new tennis courts and plaza/concessions/restroom/storage near the baseball and softball fields. Two hundred additional parking spaces are included in the base bid. The classroom renovations shown in dark blue are included as one of the alternate bids. Other alternate bid projects include: additional parking beyond the 200 in the base bid, a practice field (lower/center of image), concrete hitting wall for tennis, and renovations to restrooms near the office and commons.

A new plaza area supporting baseball, softball, and tennis is included in the base bid of the Feb 2, 2016 bond issue. This plaza will include concession stand, press box, restrooms, and storage.

The bond issue that passed in Feb 2013 led to the addition of new science lab classrooms to the SE corner of the school and provided a preview of how Grain Valley High School will look and function as a modern high school.

The bond issue that passed in Feb of 2014 funded engineering and industrial arts classrooms on the SE section of the school. With passage of the Feb 2016 bond issue, attention moves to the NE corner of the school.

A concept drawing of what the new main entrance of the high school could look like when it is eventually added to the northeast corner of the building. The addition supported by the Feb 2, 2016 bond issue extends the school north to just behind this future phase. What is pictured here is NOT associated with the Feb 2, 2016 bond issue.

Veterans Invited to Schools on Veterans Day

All Grain Valley Schools will take time on Wednesday, November 11 to celebrate Veterans Day.

On Veterans Day we honor those who have served their country in any military capacity. The day was originally proclaimed as Armistice Day by President Woodrow Wilson in 1919 to honor World War I veterans.

Our area veterans are invited to Veterans Day celebrations at any of the schools listed below.  All host schools will feature students in leadership or performance roles.  Special features are listed with the schools and start times:

• South Middle School, 901 SW Ryan Rd, at 7:15 am. Breakfast will be served to any Veteran in our community.
• Prairie Branch Elementary, 2100 Dillingham Rd, at 9:30 am.
• North Middle School, 31608 NE Pink Hill Rd, at 9:45 am.
• Matthews Elementary, 144 McQuerry Rd, at 10:30 am.
• Stony Point Elementary, 1001 Ryan Rd, at 2:30 pm.
• Sni-A-Bar Elementary, 701 SW Eagles Pkwy, at 2:30 pm.

Thank you, veterans, for your service to our great country!