Lincolnshire District 103 adding classrooms, music space
Classroom construction projects at Sprague Elementary School and Half Day School in Lincolnshire are progressing and should be completed in time for students' return in August, officials said.
"We'll be in and fully operational when school starts," Lincolnshire-Prairie View School District 103 Superintendent Scott Warren said.
Seven classrooms and a maintenance room are being added to Sprague, 2425 Riverwoods Road.
Eight classrooms and three music rooms are being created at Half Day, 239 Olde Half Day Road. Crews also are renovating part of the existing Half Day building to improve group instructional rooms, relocate an art room and change the flow in parts of the building.
Additionally, a lab for robotics, woodworking, crafts and other types of innovative projects is being built at Half Day. Warren called it a "makerspace," and it'll be similar to ones at other suburban schools and libraries.
"It's a very flexible design for whatever project you want to do," he said. "I'm very excited about this piece."
With so much new space coming to Half Day, all fifth-grade classrooms will move there from Wright Junior High this fall.
Once that happens, Sprague will serve early childhood classes through the second grade and Half Day will handle third- through fifth-graders. Wright will host sixth- through eighth-grade classes.
District 103 enrollment has been rising and more growth is expected. The construction projects and the fifth-grade shift will accommodate that growth.
The shift also gives sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders their own building, which is more common in this area.
Construction initially was planned for spring and summer 2016, but it was postponed because of bidding-related issues that would have delayed completion until after the 2016-17 term started, Warren said.
The only work scheduled for after the start of school on Aug. 28 is some minor finishing in two rooms at Half Day, and neither is to be used by students, Warren said. That work should conclude in September, he said.
The projects will cost $14.5 million. Funding is coming from loans and district savings.
Construction updates are available on the District 103 website, d103.org.