The District 205 Board of Education is moving forward with the second phase of construction at Galesburg High School, which will eventually house both grades 7 through 12. Board members approved over 22-million dollars in construction bids for the work. Phase 2 of the project is expected to come in at just under 30-million dollars total.
The district is expected to save somewhere between 2 and 3 million dollars in work which they’re considering investing back into the reconstruction to include a new band and choir room. Bryan Archibald with Legett Construction told board members that a decision on the addition would need to be made soon. Phase one of the Junior-Senior High School campus construction was completed with the remodel of the kitchen and server with the second phase going out to bid earlier in the month. Phase three of the project is expected to go out to bid in the early part of next year.
Board members were given an update on the district’s planning for bringing students into classrooms. The district had begun returning students to classrooms but last week suspended that after an increased number of students and staff were having to quarantine at home. Superintendent Dr. John Asplund explained to board members the reasoning for halting in-person learning and switching back to remote. Asplund said they’re hoping to get the infection rates back down so that concerns can be reduced and the district can jump back into in-person learning. Monday, November 30th was to be the first day for 3rd and 4th-grade students to be returning to classrooms, but Asplund said that many of those students and teachers would have been unable to come. He adds that the hope is to bring back 25 percent of students by the start of the second semester.
