The Blue Valley School District is officially halfway through its bond schedule.
Most of the projects from the 2020 bond issuance have wrapped up, with only three left to go. Meanwhile, the design and construction processes for projects from the 2023 bond schedule — which was approved earlier this spring — are kicking off this year.
The two bond elections amounted to roughly $187 million and $251 million, respectively.
“It’s all about providing enhancements to our facilities, safety and technology,” said Jake Slobodnik, executive director of operations for the district. “And all of that goes to benefit our students and our staff.”
Here are some of the major projects that have finished up, and some that will soon begin.
Three high schools got new gymnasiums
- New auxiliary gymnasiums were built at the district’s three oldest high schools.
- The gyms were built at Blue Valley Northwest, Blue Valley North and Blue Valley High.
- School officials said this will help teams that typically have to wait until later in the day to practice, due to gym occupancy.
- The cost for these three additions amounted to $16 million.
The district has a new elementary school
- Construction has finished up on Aspen Grove Elementary, the district’s newest elementary school.
- Located at 182nd and Long streets, the elementary school will serve families living in the southern part of the district.
- It will officially open for its first semester this fall.
- The cost for this addition amounted to $27 million.
Several schools received new safety lock and alert systems
- Safety features were enhanced in several buildings — including four Blue Valley buildings receiving new thumb-turn safety locks on classroom doors as an extra safety measure.
- The schools that received the new locks included Harmony Middle, Prairie Star Middle, Hilltop Learning Center and Blue Valley Center for Advanced Professional Studies.
- The district also implemented a new crisis alert system into its school buildings that allows staff to call for help by pressing a button on a wearable security badge.
- The cost for all safety additions included in Bond 2020 amounted to $12 million.
The district will get a new middle school
- The construction and design process for a new middle school will soon begin as part of the bond 2023 schedule.
- The new middle school will serve families within the Blue Valley Southwest feeder boundary, opening in the fall of 2026.
- The most recent enrollment projections have shown growth that points to an urgent need for a new middle school in this part of the district, according to district officials.
- The estimated cost for this new middle school amounts to $69 million.
New gyms will be built in more high schools
- Following new gyms in the three oldest Blue Valley high schools, Blue Valley West and Blue Valley Southwest will receive them too as part of the Bond 2023 schedule.
- These new spaces will be used for classes, athletic practices and competitions, performing arts, and assemblies.
- The estimated cost for these new gyms amounts to $14 million.
The district will also expand its early childhood program
- The early childhood program at the Hilltop Learning Center will also undergo a renovation, expanding into the building’s conference center space.
- The center will also receive classroom technology replacements and upgrades, including new portable radios for emergency communication and upgrades to the fire alarm systems.
- District officials said the program will likely grow by three or four classrooms, addressing a growing demand for the program.
- The estimated cost for expansion at Hilltop amounts to roughly $4 million.
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