It’s been two months since the groundbreaking ceremony for the new middle and high school building and the Board wanted to provide the ISD community with an update on construction progress. We also thought it a good opportunity to let you all know a little more about what the Board’s Building and Grounds (B&G) Committee does to help move projects like this forward.

The increase in the student population at ISD over the last four years has been phenomenal. In 2007, there were 270 students. By the end of this school year, ISD will hit 481. That is a 78 percent increase. And with the completion of the new middle and high school building, ISD’s capacity will reach 588 students. This is an exciting time at ISD and our most recent facilities expansion is the key to our continued growth.

The new middle and high school building has been moving steadily forward since contractors broke ground on December 17th. The land was cleared and excavation for the foundations was completed the second week of February. Today the site is busy with workers doing the heavy concrete work. Columns are being poured along with the foundations. The building should be complete by the Spring of 2012. ISD will use the summer months to test electrical, cooling, and other systems, as well as outfit the building with whiteboards, desks, etc. If everything continues as planned, students will be sitting in our new classrooms on opening day August 2012.  

There is a webcam on top of the elementary building that captures the construction progress. The images are then converted into time-lapse videos and posted to ISD’s website. You can find this video at: http://www.isdakar.org/main/info/constructionProgress.php. On this page, there are also links to the campus master plan, concept drawings, floor plans, and a slideshow of the December 17th groundbreaking ceremony. For the Luddites in our midst, there are hard copies of the plans and drawings posted on the hall board near the trophy case next to ISD’s office.

The challenge of managing all of this growth falls to ISD’s Director, Wayne Rutherford, and the Board of Trustees. Their roles are distinct. Once projects such as the new middle and high school building have been funded, the director is responsible for daily, detailed management of the construction plan while the Building and Grounds (B&G) Committee has informational and oversight responsibilities. The director ensures accountability of the project manager, provides the B&G Committee with monthly 1-page updates on progress, and alerts the Board to any immediate risks. The B&G Committee approves any changes to the design and construction plans, ensures regular communication with the ISD community, and supports requests for assistance by the director.

As Board Chair Valerie Stetson posted in the Jaguar Journal in September, part of the Board’s mission is to focus on big-picture strategic issues. The new middle and high school building is a perfect example of this. The ISD Board of Trustees is working hard to ensure ISD’s well-being both for current and future students and families.