U-46 to demolish a dozen mobile classrooms

Elgin Area School District U-46 will halve the number of mobile classrooms installed at various sites next school year as enrollment numbers continue to decline and changes to class size standards across the district render some of the old temporary buildings unnecessary.

The school board this week approved the demolition of 14 mobile classrooms at nine schools. District Chief Operating Officer Jeff King said the tentative number of mobiles expected to remain for the upcoming 2012-2013 school year is 15, down from the 29 during the 2011-2012 school year.

The cost of each demolition is estimated at $2,600 and work is expected to begin before July 1.

“Their age and condition are reasons for demolition,” King said. “But it is a combination of things — they are no longer needed because numbers are down and the district made changes to class size configurations that have an impact on classroom sizes.”

King could not say if that reconfiguration resulted in larger class sizes.

A recent Citizens Advisory Council report found that there are 103 empty or re-purposed classrooms throughout the district despite a number of schools operating near or above capacity. Mobile buildings on the list for removal include two at the high school level and one middle school and 12 elementary school units.

King said the cost-saving associated with removal would be minimal because most of the units had not been used in the past two years. The district, however, will see savings related to maintenance and utilities for the mobiles that had been used.

“If a unit is operational it costs about $10,000 per year,” King said.

King said some of the units, which are about 10 years old, have not been used in the past two school years. Next year will see the fewest number of mobile units in operation in the past 10 to 12 years, said King, who added the district has made efforts in the last six years to reduce the number of mobile units at its schools.