The Future of our District

While choosing to close Clinton Elementary School is a painful decision, both the School Board along with District administration, and the Community Advisory Committee believe moving forward with a single PreK-12 facility in Graceville is the best way to meet the long-term goal of preserving CGB as an Independent School District and meet the needs of our students, staff and residents.

The School Board and Community Advisory Committee carefully considered all possible paths forward, including: 

• • • Doing nothing

      • • Both the board and the Community Advisory Committee believe that the district is at a crossroads and the time for inaction has passed. The pressing facility needs the district is facing, confirmed by the engineers tasked by the district to give an assessment of all aspects of the buildings, convinced the board that it is in the best long term interest of the district to move forward with improvements.

    • Building a new facility

      • • A new elementary school was estimated to cost over $35 million dollars and was not considered a financially viable option by the Community Advisory Committee and the respondents in the community survey.

    • Consolidating with a nearby district

      • • The details of consolidating with another district were explored and were ultimately not considered to be a viable path forward. Remaining an independent district and retaining the rich history of CGB is the priority.

    • Repairing both the high school and the elementary school

    • Combining both schools

The School Board chose to follow the recommendation of the Community Advisory Committee and combine both schools because:

• The existing high school/middle school building provides more site space for expansion.

• The existing high school/middle school building provides better safety and is single story which provides improved accessibility.

• The existing high school/middle school building is newer and has an updated building infrastructure and envelope.

• Re-investing and updating the infrastructure of the facility with “Good Bones” will continue to serve the District for many years to come.

Why NOT Update Clinton Elementary School?

After reviewing findings from facility assessments, analysis and survey work, the community-wide survey, and from the Community Advisory Committee, it was determined that reinvesting in the existing elementary school in Clinton is not a viable future investment due to these concerns:

• The school was originally built in 1940 and is 83 years old.

• The mechanical systems are outdated and beyond their useful life.

• Fixing current infrastructure issues (heating & ventilation, roof, plumbing, electrical, etc.) is estimated to cost $13.5-15.5 million. This would not have included any updating to the brickwork, building structure, or windows, which will need to be addressed within the next 5 years.

• Educational spaces do not meet future-ready learning needs and demands.

• Building infrastructure is not acceptable in regards to accessibility and safety.

• The school has a failing building envelope.

• The building has a lack of safe, secure, and accessible entryways.

• The building has deficient air quality.

What are the POSITIVES of Combining Schools?

• It enables CGB to continue to operate as an Independent School District.

• It provides an appropriate space for ALL student services.

• It addresses community, staff, and student feedback.

• Operating less buildings means more dollars for educational programs.

• The District can reallocate more of its annual revenue to educational programming and staff.

• The District avoids investments used for major renovations and operations for aging facilities.

• It maximizes the return on investment of community tax dollars.

• The District will see a utility cost savings of $20,000-$30,000 per year by combining schools.

• Combining schools will allow CBG to carry out its mission of providing optimal learning experiences for all students to prepare them to excel in tomorrow’s world.