MORE: Urbana schools buy $925K property after problems with old site
“The plan for the building is for it to be done in March,” Superintendent Charles Thiel said. “We are a little bit ahead (of schedule) and we hope to keep ahead to make sure we have everything done and we can move into the building right after April 1.”
The plan to move into a new building in the middle of the school year will be a unique experience, Thiel said, but it’s necessary so crews can start working on demolishing parts of the old high school that will become parking lots for the new building.
“We give them as much time as possible to get as much work completed and be ready to go in the fall,” Thiel said.
About five weeks of school will be left after spring break.
While a lot of the old high school will be torn down during this process, the district will save the original part of the building dubbed the castle. That part of the historic high school is valued by many in the community, Thiel said.
Voters approved a $31 million bond issue for both a new high school and a K-eighth grade primary school on U.S. 68 south of town. The state will pick up about 61 percent of the total costs.
The cost of the new high school is $25 million and the primary school is about $39.5 million.
MORE: Urbana considers 1st income tax hike in 25 years for police, fire
Ninth-grade algebra teacher Robin Morgan has been with the district for 26 years and said getting a new building is exciting but change is always scary.
“We are scared of the new things that are going to happen but then all the positive things for the kids and all the things they are going to have,” Morgan said. “You just have to think positively about everything.”
Central air and reliable WiFi are two things Morgan is most excited about, she said. Her classroom currently doesn’t have air conditioning and becomes hot at the beginning of the school year. She buys fans before school starts.
“There is a need for an upgrade, with the WiFi issues that we have and the heat issues,” Morgan said. “The kids in the afternoon are just dying. They need this new building. I think it’s going to be great for the kids.”
MORE: Champaign County Fair includes Idol winner, ‘sense of community’
The new high school will be a welcomed change, Thiel said.
“We have invested a lot in our current classrooms but this is going to be a much higher level,” Thiel said. “The comfort and safety of our school are going to be greatly increased.”
Thiel said the school will offer collaboration spaces for teachers to work together and enough space for students to work together and individually to ensure a high quality of education.
MORE: Student of the Week Urbana High School
Primary school
The new elementary and middle school is also on target to be completed so it can be open at the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year after several issues selecting a site.
“It’s coming along very nicely and is moving very rapidly,” Thiel said of construction. “I have been impressed. Fortunately, we have been able to get most of the ground work laid and they are really pushing hard to get good progress and get as much covered by winter.”
The primary school is a 180,000-square-foot project and will combine the district’s three elementaries and one middle school into one building.
By the Numbers
$31.3 million: The amount of money Urbana voters approved to build new school buildings in November 2014.
$68.2 million: The approximate cost of constructing a new the elementary school and new high school in Urbana.
88,000: Square-footage of the new high school.
Staying with the story
The Springfield News-Sun has closely tracked developments with Urbana’s nearly $65 million new schools for several years, including stories digging into why the district says new buildings are needed and issues with the elementary school site.
About the Author