Voters in Madison County city to decide on $40 million school construction project

Highland school leaders have approved the question that will appear on ballots this spring for a $40 million referendum to fund a school construction program — as the architects work on plans for the new primary school.

The team from FGM Architects presented options to the Highland District 5 school board in a two-hour meeting last week. Highlights included a nine-classroom addition to Highland Middle School that adds two science classrooms, two special education classrooms and a vocational space. The 12,000-square-foot addition puts that portion of the school within 35 feet of the baseball field with a connecting sidewalk.

The renovations will also include new restrooms and expanding the parking lot, and the plan “provides us some flexibility for the future” by shifting the school’s footprint a bit, according to Chris Harpstrite of FGM.

The design allows windows in every classroom and provides a bit more space than the other options that had been examined by the committee working on the project. The vocational classroom will begin as a large multi-purpose room until educational leaders determine what form the vocational program will take, according to Superintendent Mike Sutton.

Currently, the library at Highland Middle School often must be used as a classroom and there are limited science and special education classrooms with no vocational areas at all.

The plans for the new primary school are more in the conceptual stage, according to project manager Emily Spindler, as the district does not yet have a building site. This phase is more about setting goals and priorities for the new building, Spindler said, focusing on safety and security as well as programmatic functions and gearing the design toward younger children.

“We’re kind of putting pen to paper to where we are really sorting out the priorities, but it’s also flexible enough that it can change,” Spindler said.

Design details

Key points on the primary school design include a single point of entrance during the day, with a central court for after-school events that allows the rest of the school to be locked up, as well as a safer pickup area for young children. The hub-style design allows room to grow for future expansion, Spindler said.

“One of the big things we talked about is the way the wings are situated on this, every classroom will have a view of green space or something open, whereas when when we start putting two wings out where they’re looking straight out the window at the other wing ... that’s not quite as appealing,” Sutton said.

The question was approved by the board will read: “Shall the board of education of Highland Community Unit School District No. 5, Madison, Bond and Montgomery Counties, Illinois, improve the sites of, build and equip a new primary school building, build and equip additions to and alter, repair and equip existing school buildings, and issue bonds of said school district to the amount of $40 million for the purpose of paying the costs thereof?”

The board considered two other question options that included more detail of the proposed program, but Sutton advised the additional detail might confuse people. The focus should be on the top priorities, he said: The new primary school and the middle school expansion.

More on referendum

The board decided in November to seek a referendum for a new primary school and a number of other capital projects. A feasibility study conducted two years ago recommended a list of improvements, including the primary school project, adding a performing arts center and second gymnasium at the high school, expanding Highland Middle School and more.

Not all of those projects are going forward, although Alhambra and Grantfolk schools will be getting new entrances this year through an existing life-safety project.

The referendum had temporarily been put on hold due to the pandemic. Sutton has said, thanks to a number of bonds retiring over the next few years, they hope to keep the tax rate level even with the referendum.

The election will take place on June 28.

This story was originally published March 7, 2022 at 11:38 AM.