Bond allows elementary school to make improvements

Voters approved a $138 million bond proposal for the Olathe School District in October 2007 to pay for the construction of new schools, technology for new and existing schools and maintenance/refurbishing of existing schools.

More than a year later, Central Elementary, 324 S. Water Street, broke ground on its own $4.5 million of planned improvements, including additional classrooms and restroom space.

Central hosted a groundbreaking ceremony Nov. 25.

City officials and Board of Education members attended, and students were given “dirt cake” to complete their own groundbreaking, said Principal Stephanie Dancso.

Renovations to Central will include three kindergarten classrooms and three additional classrooms, additional restrooms, a secure entry, a new parent parking lot, a bus loop, a staff lounge and workroom, a nurse’s office, a new administrative suite and a conference room.

“The first thing it’s going to do is provide a place where all kindergarten classes have internal restrooms in the classrooms,” Dancso said.

“That will save them a great deal of time instead of moving through the halls and standing in line. Kindergarteners are getting used to school and are still pretty little. They need to be able to go to the restroom as needed.”

New restroom space will help the school a great deal, Dancso said.

“You would think it wouldn’t be that big of a deal,” she said. “But we have almost 335 people going to the restroom on a daily basis, several times a day. We have traffic flow issues and our halls are congested during those times. We will also have additional staff restrooms because (currently) they haven’t been convenient to our staff.”

Subsequently, smaller spaces will be free to house smaller school programs, Dancso said. Also, Central’s itinerant staff will have a place to work.

“Right now they use the hallway, go into the basement, use whatever space they can find,” Dancso said. “These are teachers that are not in our building all of the time, like our school social worker and psychologist.”

Other bond projects included in the 2007 passage are one junior high school at 127th Street and Lakeshore Drive, planned to open in fall 2010; two elementary schools, Forest View at 12567 Canyon Drive, scheduled to open fall 2009, and a second site to be determined; preliminary design and construction documents for a fifth high school; a Technology Support Center; an addition to California Trail Junior High School; and four elementary school sites.

Planned technology improvements for new and existing schools includes digital classrooms for older elementary schools and a network infrastructure.

Large-scale maintenance projects to refurbish existing schools includes energy-efficient windows, heating/air conditioning, roofing, asphalt and concrete projects, flooring, ceilings and lighting.

Construction at Central should be completed by the start of school next fall.

Turner Construction Co., Kansas City, Mo., was selected Monday for the project.

“Central would like to thank the community for their support,” Dancso said. “Without the community, this would not happen.”