Plan: problems, solutions
Editor's note: Here are the problems confronting USD 410 at Hillsboro Elementary School, and their proposed solutions, as printed in an eight-page booklet published by the district.
PROBLEMS:
Classroom space
Currently all classrooms are occupied at Hillsboro Elementary School. Classroom space for expanded programs is not available. It is very likely that in the near future the State of Kansas will begin to require school districts to offer all-day Kindergarten. Without additional classroom space the district could be forced to increase class size in order to reduce the number of classrooms needed.
Traffic flow and parking
Movement of students and vehicles to and from this building presents many challenges. A combination of bus and auto traffic makes it difficult to provide a safe environment as students arrive at and leave from school. Parking for employees and visitors is limited and often requires vehicles to park along adjacent streets.
Dining and kitchen facility
Presently students are served breakfast and lunch in the same room that is used for physical education. The kitchen used to prepare meals has limited space and is not designed for effective meal preparation.
SOLUTIONS:
Construct a new dining and kitchen facility on the southeast corner of the elementary building. This area will be a place for students to dine, to gather before and after school, and to meet for large group assemblies and activities.
Relocate the current elementary office and teacher work area to the space currently occupied by the central office. This move will require that the central office be relocated to a site removed from the school.
Convert the area presently used for the elementary office and workroom to an art and music facility. This change allows the current art/music room to become a regular classroom.
Create a new student drop-off area directly to the east of the present building. New entrances on the east side of the building will allow students to enter the school through the newly constructed dining facility.
Construct a new hard-surfaced parking area at the south end of the football field. This will provide approximately 66 new parking spaces at Hillsboro Elementary.
Hard surface parking area on the west side of the building.
Use the "circle drive" exclusively for bus loading and visitor parking.