Project details
The $45 million bond proposal includes plans that will enhance learning for students at all levels, from kindergarten through 12th grade.
Construction has already begun on a number of projects — read the latest updates on current construction. For details on the plans, click on any of the individual projects:
| Anticipated opening in August 2009 | Anticipated opening in August 2010 |
| New elementary school | Additions to Eudora High School |
| Renovations at West Elementary | New Technical Education Center facility |
| Additions to Eudora Middle School | District athletics complex |
New
elementary
school: Scheduled to open in
August 2009
A new
elementary school with a capacity of 200 students per grade for
grades 1-5. This large facility, originally developed as part of
the district's long-range facilities plan, will group individual
classrooms into smaller, themed areas to ensure that every child
feels connected not only to his or her individual classroom and
teacher, but also to a small community of children from the same
grade.
In
this type of concept, all second grade students and teachers, for
example, will be housed in
one area of the building, complete with classrooms,
restrooms and common areas. Each of these areas will have a
unique theme, based on the world's ecosystems. The themes allow
students to identify their classroom area from anywhere in the
school, and gives teachers rich learning environments that can be
used to enhance the curriculum. The school will be led by a
principal and assistant principal. In February 2008, the Eudora
Board of Education appointed West Principal Jan Irby to the
principal position at the new school. Nottingham Principal Jim
Lauer will lead the preschool-kindergarten center that will open at
West in 2009.
The new school
will be divided to serve the primary grades and intermediate grades
separately; at the same time, resources, such as the library,
kitchen, gymnasium, nurse's office, would be centralized for all
students' benefit. The school also will
be equipped with the most effective educational technology and the
latest security measures to ensure the safety of our
students.
The new school
is being built south and west of the intersection of 10th and Peach
streets. For more information about the site and building concept,
click
here.
NEW! See the latest
design images of the new school in a slide show: 
Eudora Elementary
School
§ Read about the
philosophy behind the design of the new school.
§
Where will
kindergarten and preschool students attend?
§ What will
happen to West and Nottingham?
§ Learn more about the
site where the school would be built.
West Elementary
renovations: Scheduled for
completion in August 2009
In order
for Eudora West Elementary to be used as an attendance center
for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students, some minor
renovations will be done. The main change will be the addition of
restroom facilities that can meet the needs of these young
students, including close proximity to each classroom.
Additions to Eudora
Middle School: Scheduled to
open in August 2009
The next
additions to the middle school will be a pod for sixth grade
classes to keep sixth graders in one area for all core classes, as
well as an expanded commons/cafeteria and kitchen needed to
adequately serve the increasing student body. This also will
address the enrollment growth that currently requires portable
classroom modular units south of the middle school.
NEW! See the latest
design images of the EMS additions in a slide show: Eudora Middle
School
Addition to the
Eudora High School: Scheduled to open in
August 2010
Plans for
the high school include an auditorium, as well as an additional pod
and science classrooms to meet the demands of growing enrollment.
The auditorium is slated to seat a minimum of 750 people, greatly
expanding the capacity available for performances and special
events.
New Technical
Education Center: Scheduled to
open in August 2010
The growth
of technical education programs within the Eudora-De Soto Technical
Education Center, point to a need for a centralized facility for
these programs. A new building on the middle school/high school
campus will house all five of the current technical programs, as
well as new programs in industrial maintenance and
biotechnology.
This
facility also will be a resource for a growing partnership with
Johnson County Community College, including anticipated day and
evening community outreach classes.
§
How will
this affect the De Soto partnership?
Athletics
complex for soccer, football and track: Scheduled
to open in August 2010
A new
stadium will be built on the campus southwest of the high school,
replacing regular varsity use of Laws Field and the soccer fields
north of the middle school. The use of artificial field turf will
save the district money and will create a surface that can be used
by any and all activities, without the challenging wear and tear
that accompany a natural grass surface. This new facility will
include adequate parking, locker rooms, fan accommodations, and
increased safety.
§
What will
happen to Laws
Stadium?
§
How can artificial field turf save the district
money?
Technology and
security
This bond
package includes funds earmarked for both student safety
and educational technology. The vision for technology in
Eudora schools is that classrooms and entire buildings would become
an integrated learning environment, taking full advantage of
wireless networks and interactive learning tools. Even now,
technology is being tested by
district teachers so that decisions about what to include will be
based on actual classroom experiences of our own teachers and
students.
And
while we believe that our community is an extremely safe place to
live and raise a family, we also are keenly aware of the threats to
student security faced by districts both large and small. As a
result, the district is pursuing key card access to all buildings,
which will dramatically reduce the opportunities
for unauthorized entry by individuals who should not be in the
buildings. We are making every effort to maintain the friendly,
welcome environment that currently exists in our schools, while
keeping a focus on safety of our students and staff.
These enhancements of technology and
security will be installed progressively, according to the
completion of construction and additions at the school
buildings.
§ Read about the sound
technology now being tested in our district.
UPDATE:District
office / operations center removed from bond proposal.
Six months
prior to the election, the Eudora Board of Education voted 6-0 to
move forward with a bond package that did not include a central
office or transportation center. Board members acknowledged
the short-term need for such a center
but chose to remove it from the bond package in order to keep the
mill rate steady and prioritize spending in areas that directly
touch students and teachers every day.
The board will continue to pursue
opportunities to expand
the central administration and operations center, which could
include the purchase and/or renovation of existing facilities
or the construction of a new building. These opportunities
would be financed within the existing tax structure.
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This page was last updated March 13, 2008.
