Middletown City School District (MCSD) Board of Education (BOE) last night voted 5-0  to build approximately 28,000 sq. ft. addition onto Rosa Parks Elementary. The $10 million project will bring space relief for the MCSD elementary students.

For nearly two years, Middletown City School District has identified addressing overcrowding and space concerns in the elementary buildings as a priority. In 2018, the district evaluated a variety of options for adding new academic space. In October 2018, the Middletown Board of Education determined adding space to an existing building was the most fiscally responsible decision.

“Tonight was an exciting night for our Middletown City School District students! The vision of this project is in motion because our design team, our community, our board, and our staff believe in our students and trust the design team. This project will give our students access to innovative learning spaces and the green light to weave their imagination into their learning. Our staff at Rosa Parks Elementary is chomping at the bit to get the project moving for our students and our community and we’re excited to work with them every step of the way” said Marlon Styles, Jr., MCSD Superintendent.

From January 2019-March 2019, the architects on the project, Fanning Howey, assessed each of Middletown’s seven elementary schools and determined adding onto one building to be the fiscally responsible option. In their determination, Fanning Howey named Rosa Parks Elementary to be the best option in terms of construction, cost, and site work.

“The BOE appreciates the forward thinking and pragmatic approach that has been directed at transforming MCSD. The building project at Rosa Parks Elementary continues the pattern of improving the educational experiences for our students while being fiscally minded stewards of public resources,” said Chris Urso, MCSD BOE president.

Financing for the Rosa Parks Elementary expansion project comes from the $10 million savings the district incurred from the State of Ohio on the Middletown High School renovation and new Middletown Middle School construction projects. At the October 8, 2018 BOE meeting, the board passed a resolution to sell the remaining bond funds to add additional academic space.

“In May 2014, the Middletown voters passed a bond issue for $55 million. Through our partnership with the State of Ohio, we only needed to utilize $45 million for the new Middle School and modernized High School. This means we have $10 million we can use on permanent improvement projects such as adding to an existing building,” said Randy Bertram, Treasurer at MCSD. “The cost of the Rosa Parks Elementary expansion project including architect fees, construction management, and the actual construction is limited to the $10 million.”

As with any any project involving construction, the construction timeline dictates delivery. Project decisions are being made now to ensure the new academic space will be ready in August 2021.

For more information, please visit the Elementary Expansion Project FAQ page on the MCSD website: http://bit.ly/mcsdexpansionfaq.