Students from West Salisbury Elementary School in Salisbury, Md., which serves students from prekindergarten through second grade, will be relocated to two other campuses while the Wicomico County district builds a replacement facility.
The district says that starting in August 2016, West Salisbury’s prekindergarten and kindergarten students will become part of Charles H. Chipman Elementary. First- and second-grade students from West Salisbury will attend North Salisbury Elementary, which is where they will attend for grades 3 to 5.
The new West Salisbury is projected to open in August 2018.
Having the two schools serve as swing space will make it possible to keep the construction project moving forward.
The existing West Salisbury, a 25,919-square-foot facility was built in 1964 with a capacity for 269 students. The building now has 314 students, and five portable classrooms have been added to the campus to accommodate the enrollment. It is the only school in the district without air conditioning.
Plans for the new school call for a 57,611-square-foot facility that will have capacity for 350 students. The school will be designed with a goal of achieving LEED Silver certification for environmentally friendly elements.
Placing West Salisbury students in existing schools during construction was a more affordable option than any of the other alternatives Superintendent John Fredericksen says.
Chipman Elementary and North Salisbury Elementary will be temporarily over capacity but able to serve the additional students for the next two school years. Three portable classrooms will be moved to North Salisbury to provide additional instructional space, and other adjustments will be made within the building.
