District 61's Very Own "Infrastructure Bill"
The third article in our 3-part Series on CARES funding
To date, we have examined how DPS 61 should use the federal CARES money to hire additional teachers and make a concerted effort mitigate the learning loss we experienced during the COVID shutdowns. There is no doubt that this is the most important thing Decatur Public Schools can do with these funds.
We have also discussed using the resources to assist the district in transitioning from two (2) high schools to one (1) school with two (2) separate campuses. Not only do we here at the Chalkboard feel this best utilizes our existing resources, it also provides a chance to improve tests scores at this level, focuses our efforts on helping students along the entire academic spectrum and create true opportunity for our graduates as they head off to college or pursue a career.
Which brings us to our third area of focus – the school district’s facilities.
For years, our buildings have been an on-going concern for the school board, central administration and the voters. With the costs of up-keep, renovation and expansion always rising, and available tax dollars dwindling year after year, the CARES money gives DPS61 the chance to make a real, lasting impact on our facilities while everyone’s “favorite uncle” picks up the tab! Again, while it may not be flashy, DPS 61 should take a good look at what can be done to ensure that our schools are viable for decades to come.
Since COVID-19 is the catalyst for all of this, the district should look into making sure that our physical plant is as capable as it can be in helping to prevent the transmission of this virus. While creating more spaces in buildings for small groups is not likely, there are still a number or things that can be done. The district should make sure that the HVAC systems are as up to date as they can possibly be. Things as simple as good airflow and properly functioning exhaust fans and ventilation systems can go a long way in helping. We should also look into newer, more effective air filtration systems that will not hamper proper airflow.
The district should consider portable air cleaning systems that use high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters wherever possible, particularly in higher-risk areas such as a nurse’s office or an isolation room. If options for increasing filtration and ventilation are problematic, we can explore using ultraviolet germicidal irradiation, or UVGI system, as a treatment to inactivate the virus.
Alongside these considerations (remember only 20% of these funds need to be COVID-related), the district should inspect every building they have, regardless of its age or the last time it was worked on, and determine what each one needs to get into the best shape possible. Any repairs or replacements to windows, HVAC systems, entry/exit points, electrical systems and computer-networking capacity should be planned & implemented. I realize we just completed the BOLD Plan, but if any building could benefit from additional spaces, then look into it. As we at DPS Chalkboard have said before, there is no reason DPS 61 should not take advantage of this extraordinary funding opportunity. Yes, these funds are still taxpayer dollars (it is still our money), but we now have the chance to tap into a supply that is much bigger than can be generated at the local level. If Decatur Public Schools can make this happen, in the near term, then we can avoid much tougher problems decades down the road.
Using CARES money on facilities can also augment our efforts in transitioning towards one high school. I was very involved in the renovation project/campaign in the late 2000’s. The initial plans for both Eisenhower and MacArthur were more encompassing than the end-results. This is not to say that the final build outs were less than desired. In a way they were no different than a home renovation or home building project that we ourselves would take on. We always have grand designs of what we would like to end up with, yet as we progress through the project, we are forced to make choices and sacrifices because something is simply not practical nor is it financially doable. These types of choices were made back then as well. Certain elements were eliminated because build-out was not practical. Others were abandoned in an effort to maintain a balance between the schools & students – at the time administration didn’t want one building having something the other didn’t. And finally, decisions had to be made to stay within the limits of what taxpayers were willing to pay.
Now, as we consider one school with two campuses, some of those decisions could be re-visited. If the high school plan were to move forward, all of the students would benefit from the facilities regardless of where they are physically located. Some things to reconsider:
A New Fieldhouse – originally slated for MacArthur; this was ultimately dropped because Eisenhower could not have one (space constraints) and it would have to be built on the baseball & softball fields at MHS with no way to replace these fields on site. The baseball dilemma has been resolved with the new facilities at Johns Hill Park and a separate fieldhouse could be utilized for non-district events as well - such as the Turkey Tournament.
New Football & Soccer Complex – the football field had to be re-done at Eisenhower because of the geo-thermal heating system; Matheson Field was left un-touched and considered to be a “supplemental project” if enough funds were available. The biggest challenge here was the age of the facility. Even if you had funding available, it would have been a “ground up” project just to make it ADA compliant. Now we have the chance to upgrade everything – the playing surface, bleachers, audio/visual capabilities, etc. This would also give us the opportunity to build a separate soccer pitch that is designed specifically for that purpose.
The final consideration is not meant specifically for students or staff. It is focused on the entire Decatur community. The district’s most recent facilities plan called for combining some buildings and shuddering others. As of today, Durfee (the original Garfield school), Oak Grove and Stevenson schools all stand empty. Unfortunately, DPS 61’s track record in handling these situations is not stellar. When some were closed in years past, there were at least plans in the works for those properties to be utilized by some one else. Some that come to mind are Lincoln, Gasman, Riverside, Oakland, Oglesby and Mound schools. Others such as Roach and Woodrow Wilson didn’t fare as well. Roach Elementary sat empty for years and led to a situation where ultimately the City of Decatur had to get involved. The school district was able to sell the property to a private entity but new ownership did nothing to advance their specific plan for re-purposing the building. In essence, we had an absentee land-owner that simply allowed the building to crumble. Over the years it became a huge blemish in the neighborhood and a major safety hazard as the abandon building evolved into a magnet for the homeless.
If you drive south on Oakland Avenue, you quickly see that the old Woodrow Wilson Junior High is heading down a similar path. After the students were relocated, the district did continue to use the building until it was no longer financially viable & had to be sold off. What makes this worse than the incident with Roach is that Woodrow Wilson was a beautiful piece of architecture. Today it sits out in the open – abandoned and dilapidated. Over the years, a variety of owners have announced plans for the building yet none came to fruition.
We are facing a similar situation today with Durfee Elementary (the original Garfield). As a result of the recent building alignments, the magnet program at Durfee has ended and the building sits empty. This building is one of the oldest structures in the district. Since its closing, all of the windows on the ground floor have been boarded up to prevent anyone from getting in. Further, the extension on the south-west side of the building is on the verge of collapse. The outer layer of brick has fallen off and the inner wall appears to be buckling. It is obvious that this has created a safety hazard as the maintenance department has cordoned it off using yellow caution tape. Needless to say, this isn’t a good look. Similar steps have been taken at Oak Grove. All the windows have been covered with plywood and someone even spray-painted a message on the wall saying “the building is not safe.” An interesting concept since the building was full of grade school children just last year.
The school district should seriously consider allocating CARES funds to demolishing all of the buildings that have been recently closed. The resulting green spaces could then be put up for sale. An empty lot is more attractive to a developer or business entity than a shuddered building that is too costly to re-purpose for their particular needs. Nor would a potential buyer really want to spend the additional money themselves for demolition and clean-up just to be able to build something new from the ground up.
Leveling these buildings also makes sense from an aesthetic point of view as well. Take Durfee for example… this building sits out in the open on a busy intersection with high visibility. According to data from the City of Decatur, and average of 15,100 vehicles pass through this intersection on a daily basis (https://www.decaturedc.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/DECATUR-Traffic-Count.pdf). As it stands today, the community’s perception of Decatur Public Schools is lackluster at best. Leaving a crumbling structure to sit at a highly-travelled, highly-visible intersection doesn’t help their cause.
So, there you have it. While our three suggestions for the use of the CARES money allocated to the school district may not be glamorous, they are focused on efforts designed to help DPS 61 recover from the impact of COVID-19 and move the school district towards sustainable, academic success and community pride.