District To Upgrade 4 Elementary Schools

School administrators held a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday morning at Dora Erickson Elementary to signify the start of what will transform into a new school.

With the successful passage of Idaho Falls School District 91’s bond, work is beginning on new buildings that will replace some of the district’s oldest elementary schools.

District 91 Superintendent George Boland said many of the school buildings in the district are decades old. That’s why after receiving a $53 million bond, they decided to replace four of the district’s aged elementary schools.

“If you look around, you can see that these schools were built during a very different time,” said Boland. “Most of these schools are over 50 years old. They don’t meet the educational needs of today, let alone tomorrow.”

The four schools that will be upgraded are Dora Erickson, Ethel Boyes, Edgemont and Longfellow. School faculty and administrators held a groundbreaking ceremony at Dora Erickson Thursday afternoon to mark the start of many changes to come.

“It’ll be a lot more consolidated. Projectors will be mounted on the wall so it’ll be safer for students and a lot more user-friendly for teachers,” said John Murdoch, Dora Erickson’s principal.

Once complete, the schools will offer more classroom space and come equipped with new technology. Murdoch said the students that will benefit most are today’s kindergarten students.

Another groundbreaking ceremony will take place Friday morning at Ethel Boyes Elementary. Renovations at Dora Erickson are expected to be complete in the fall of 2013.

For more information, visit http://www.d91.k12.id.us/ or click here.