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YORK — An architect from the firm designing the York Elementary School expansion spoke at Monday’s York School Board meeting.
Matthew Kreutzer of CMBA Architects explains the need for the expansion, shares possible designs, and outlines a timeline.
Over the next few months, the firm will hold meetings with various groups in the community and lead tours of other elementary schools before finalizing the design this summer.
The company hopes the board will approve the bond amount in July ahead of a bond vote on Tuesday, Nov. 5. There will be bond events throughout the fall. Crozier said if the bond is approved, construction will take at least two years, with about six months of preparation before construction begins.
Kreutzer said the school expects student numbers to continue to grow in the coming years, meaning the already full elementary school could become overcrowded without expansion.
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Currently, the school has about 100 students in each class and about 23 students in each classroom. The school expects to have about 102 students in each grade by 2028-2029, rising to 110 by 2033-2034. Currently, the school typically has about four classes per class, but the school hopes to have six or more classes in order to reduce the number of students in each class as the number of students grows.
As York Elementary School grows, it also needs more “flexible” classrooms – classrooms that are not just designated for one grade level – to accommodate “bubble” classes, which are unusually large classes. Kreutzer said that starting in 2033-2034, given the expected growth of the school, a bubble class of about 130 students may be opened, in which case each class may have seven sections.
Crozier said the expansion also aims to improve special education classrooms, increase the number of bathrooms and consolidate pre-kindergarten classes currently spread across different York Public Schools buildings.
The CMBA is also considering improvements to the gym, cafeteria and parking lots.
Two designs shared by the CMBA on Monday include “pods” where classes can gather for whole-class activities. One design involves a long linear addition to the existing building, while the other includes a “more prominent” addition. The latter would have a greater impact on the existing site and would not meet the needs of flexible classrooms, Kreutzer said.
The school board also approved a contract for a new elementary school teacher on Monday. York Elementary School Principal Katie Burke said they don’t yet know what Mackenzie Miller will be teaching.
During public comment, a woman asked the board whether there were “obscene” materials in the York Public Schools library and whether community members could browse the books. YPS Superintendent Mitch Bartholomew said the school had a “complete process” for ordering books and the woman could view the books if she wished.
Bartholomew also provided updated budget information, showing the school’s revenue this year through February 2024 ($10.4 million) is greater than expenditures ($9.8 million). He also told the board to keep an eye on the Legislature, which is considering a number of bills related to school budgets.
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