Broadway to receive two new classrooms

The Central Valley School District Board of Directors approved two items Monday night, pushing forward a plan to ease crowding in some of the district’s schools.

The board unanimously approved a request to begin the bidding process for the construction of two classrooms at Broadway Elementary School, and the relocation of three district portables to University High School and Liberty Lake and Greenacres elementary schools.

The board also approved a recommendation to offer Architects West of Coeur d’Alene the design contract for the projects.

The decision was made April 12 to place portable classrooms at the high school and two elementary schools, instead of busing students out of their neighborhoods.

The three schools, including Broadway, were identified by the district as those with immediate growth needs beyond a long-term facilities plan currently being considered by the district. The plan includes building two new schools over the next six to eight years.

In November, the board voted to take that concept, first introduced in October, out to the community for comments. During that process the community overwhelmingly said they would not support the busing of students away from their home schools.

The district already owns the portables, which will cost about $30,000 to $33,000 to relocate and install. Each portable includes two classrooms.

The cost to add two permanent classrooms at Broadway will be $444,600.

The money for the project comes out of the district capital fund, not the general fund.

Superintendent Mike Pearson said the portables likely will be in place sometime this summer, before the start of school in the fall.

The construction of the classrooms at Broadway, however, won’t be complete until late fall. They are hoping for a completion date of Oct. 1.

“But I think that’s pushing the envelope,” Pearson said. “It’s a real tight timeline.”