ACSD Update - 3/20/2024

In his March update, Aurora City School Superintendent, Mike Roberto provides an overview of planning activities, input gathered and what to look forward to in the months ahead.  

Transcript of the 3/20/2024 Update:

"Hello, I’m Mike Roberto, Superintendent of the Aurora City Schools, here to share some new information on our most recent levy and our potential new construction here in the Aurora City Schools.

PI Renewal Levy Thank You!

On March 19th, the community once again showed their support for the Aurora City School District by approving a 1.5 mil Permanent Improvement (PI) Renewal Levy. Because this levy was a renewal it means that it will not increase your taxes, these funds are nonetheless important as they go towards upkeep and repair of infrastructure that lasts five years or more such as roofs, roads, busses, and boilers. So, I wanted to be sure to give a heartfelt thank you to those of you who voted to once again approve this renewal levy.

Much of the funds from this levy, as mentioned, will go towards the upkeep of our five schools and Conference Center in the district. However, these funds will not be able to help us replace 113-year-old Craddock Elementary School. For that, we have been very busy looking into and then developing a Facilities Master Planning Project over the last three years. We have been especially busy the last few months.

Master Plan Update Jan & Feb

Throughout January and February, Aurora City Schools made significant progress in developing our facility master plans. With the goal of creating a “generational solution” for ACSD facilities, ThenDesign Architecture held meetings with district staff, students, and community members to gain feedback on spaces included in the plan and additional considerations that were important to these stakeholders, ensuring the best outcome for young people in the Aurora City Schools.

Gathering Feedback

During master planning, the team develops solutions from a “10,000-foot view.” This very early stage of a school facilities project is where architects and district administrators decide which buildings to address, the overall square footage, and how this will serve future growth. During this time, rough "site fit" diagrams are developed to ensure schools can fit on proposed sites, and preliminary internal layouts are being discussed. It is important to realize this is far from a final solution but allows the team to understand the options.

Feedback sessions and conversations with district staff and the community sometimes include conceptual layouts, proposed sites, and what new spaces may be included. Costs are preliminary but helpful to understand the project scope.

Should the bond issue pass this November, this master plan will become the foundation for a full and intensive design process where entire site schematics and construction documents are generated.

Engaging AHS Instructional Leaders

Throughout January of this year, the design team met with administrative leaders to validate the program scope for the new high school. This involved depicting all the proposed spaces in a graphic format for staff to discuss. This ensures that all the necessary areas are accounted for in upcoming designs.

Then, designers met with the entire staff at the high school to review the overall project, along with preliminary school site studies. Departments broke into small groups to discuss the layout, relationships between spaces, and the overall concept.

Notetakers at each table captured the input to be folded into the plan. Some common concepts at the high school included:

• Incorporating flexible spaces of different sizes for student collaboration, testing, or special projects.

• Better arrangement and organization of departments for the new building.

• Opportunities to develop a "community feel" within the school to enhance community activities and access.

• Flexible furniture that can be easier to rearrange based on the academic activity.

Community Group Input

Since this project will potentially impact all buildings in the district, in February, the design team met with staff at every school in the district to better understand how the spaces could be reconfigured to accommodate incoming students and the grade adjustments.

With this feedback, architects can better propose improvements at each building, how they can be phased, and potential construction costs.

The scope for the project includes:

• A new 9-12 high school with an attached 650-seat auditorium.

• Moving grades 6-8 to the existing high school and performing select renovations.

• Moving PK, 1 and 2 to Leighton and 3-5 to Harmon.

• Moving the board offices to the existing high school.

• Keeping kindergarten at Miller.

• Abate/Demolish Craddock Elementary School.

Additionally, in February, a Construction Steering Committee was established and met. This diverse group comprised community members, interested residents, local construction professionals, parents, and other school volunteers. They are tasked with providing input on the plan as it develops.

After a presentation on the overall project, they discussed various notable topics to be explored in upcoming meetings.

Some topics included:

• The need to examine traffic impacts on the Aurora Greenmen Campus.

• The positioning of the new high school and how to minimize its effects on surrounding properties.

• Vehicular circulation and parking arrangements for the new high school.

• Ensuring all the schools in the district can accommodate growth in the Aurora community for future generations.

The feedback gathered in these sessions will inform the overall master plan and help the district develop more accurate plans, schedules, and cost estimates moving into 2024.

The design team is now working to incorporate this feedback into the school's programming. Additional engagements with the Construction Steering Committee and the Superintendent's Advisory Council are planned monthly, and as more detail is brought to the plans, they will continue to be communicated.

Construction Communication Community Events

We will be holding two Construction Communication Community Events to provide opportunities for community members to learn about the latest updates on the Facilities Master Planning Project and to ask questions prior to the recommendation being sent to the Aurora Board of Education in late May or June.

Those Construction Communication Meeting dates will be Wednesday, April 17th, and Thursday, April 18th at 7:00 p.m. in the ACSD Conference Center located at 119 W. Pioneer Trail located in front of Aurora High School.

What to Expect

At these Construction Communication Events, we will be sharing the latest renderings of the potential new high school including potential new traffic patterns and additional parking areas. We also will be providing updates for planned transition renovations to Miller, Leighton, Harmon, and what will be the “Old High School” all of which will be included in the Facilities Master Planning Project. There will also be a chance for community members to ask questions concerning this potential new construction and to provide feedback as well. Please mark your calendars to attend one of these two Construction Communication Community Events.

That is all of this update. For the latest on what is happening in Greenmen Nation please go to our website at www.aurora-schools.org Thank you for taking the time to watch this video, take care, and GO GREENMEN!"