Why doesnt the District use the Astro Power building instead of building a new elementary school?
This idea has been discussed at length. Under the Community Consensus Plan, Bayard School would become a new middle school in the city serving approximately 700 students in grades 6-8. Therefore, there would not be a need for an additional middle school in the suburbs at this time. The Astro Power building was originally purchased to be renovated as a middle school designed to seat as many as 1,200 students. Its size and location do not make it an optimal site for an elementary school. In addition, the cost of completing the Astro Power building as an elementary school or as a middle school would be roughly equal to the cost of completing construction of Porter Road Elementary School a facility sited and designed specifically for K 5 students. Finally, demographic projections suggest that in approximately four years, there will be demand for additional middle school seats in the southern part of the District. Community members who attended the public workshops reached a consensus that
