The Derry Township School District has made the decision to build a brand new K-5 building on its school campus. It’s planned to be built on the grass fields behind the current middle school, starting in the summer of 2026
This project has been in progress since 2018, before the COVID-19 pandemic. However, due to the pandemic and the fact that the school didn’t have the funds at the time to continue with the project, the plan was put on hold for a couple of years.
The district and school board have been striving to be financially prudent throughout this entire project, as Derry Township is a fiscally responsible school district. They currently have no debt and would prefer to maintain that status.
It’s estimated that they will spend $100 to $120 million on this new building. To mitigate the financial impact, they have begun setting aside money each year for a building fund.
They also allowed a small budget to renovate the current ECC, which will eventually become district offices. The district had considered renovations to the current building, rather than building a new school entirely; however, it found that the price to renovate was already more than half the price of a new building.
In an interview with Dr. Winslow, the superintendent, said that “the renovations would include fixing the HVAC, plumbing, and bringing the building up to code…Just to fix those issues it would be around $56 million. That’s without getting new educational spaces like we would like. That’s already close to 80% of the new build cost.”
Currently, the pipes underneath the school are approximately 75 years old and are starting to crack, break, and are not functioning properly. Many of the parts to fix them are no longer manufactured, and replacing them entirely would be a considerable expense.
Along with fixing the pipes and bringing it up to code, the new building will provide students with adequate learning spaces. The kids will have a dedicated music space, specific rooms for small-group work, and larger classrooms for teachers to utilize.
Currently, the kids are having to do small group work in the hallways due to a lack of space in the classroom. There’s also no music-dedicated space for students to use. Along with a lack of space, the current building tends to be confusing to most students and parents, as the halls and rooms are similar in appearance and there’s no clear way to distinguish between them.
The new building will have three stories and be divided into two wings. One wing will house kindergarten and second graders, while the other will accommodate grades three through five. Each grade will have a designated color that will be incorporated into the walls or floors, allowing students to follow it and lead them to their grade-specific hallway.
Along with making the paths more straightforward, they plan to add music and STEAM-specific rooms, rather than combining them all into one room, as they are currently.
Other improvements are the increased outdoor space that is planned to be added. It will include added play areas for the students. They are also planning a 2-story library that will be huge and include many areas and features for students to learn and work together.
Currently, the district and the architectural company, Crabtree, Rohrbaugh, & Associates, are in the final stages of planning and development for the interior and exterior design. The whole time, they have planned to resolve the issues they currently have, while also adding lots of fun and inviting features to make the kids want to learn and want to be at school.
Many parents, teachers, and district employees are excited and anxiously awaiting the start of these years of planning and development, including Dr. Winslow. There are many more things to learn about this project. Stay up to date with the project right here on the Broadcaster.
