The Seymour (Ind.) school district has announced plans for a $52.45 million project to convert the Seymour Middle School Sixth Grade Center into an intermediate school for fifth and sixth grade and to upgrade Seymour High School.
The Seymour Tribune reports that the construction project will provide more classroom space, improve security, increase accessibility for people with disabilities, and expand opportunities for music, career and athletic programming.
Construction would begin in 2022, and fifth-graders would start at the new intermediate school in 2023.
In the last eight years, enrollment in the Seymour district has grown 23% and reached a record 5,250 students in 2019-20.
"Our enrollment is what really brings us here today," Superintendent Brandon Harpe says. "It has just exploded. While most schools in the state are projecting a drop in enrollment, we're continuing to project an increase." In the next six years, officials expect enrollment to grow by another 500 students, Harpe says.
The plans at the intermediate school call for a new cafeteria and kitchen, library, gymnasium, band and choir rooms and main office. The number of classrooms will be increased from 15 to 38.
At the high school, a minimum of 25 classrooms will be added to meet modern educational and space requirements, Harpe says.
"Our classrooms are undersized," he says. "Many of them are smaller than what we have at the sixth grade center. We have major issues with our classrooms and how they are laid out."
With an enrollment of 1,550, the high school is bursting at the seams. During passing periods, the hallways have become uncomfortably congested, and there aren't enough lockers for every student.
"We have bottleneck and chokepoints throughout the building," Harpe says.
As part of the project, a new corridor will be added to relieve congestion and create space for additional lockers.
