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District 59 approves portable classrooms for John Jay Elementary at roughly $441,000
Summary
The board authorized purchase and installation of portable units at John Jay Elementary to add classroom space, with total cost including utilities and connections about $440,984. The board was told the portables will be used flexibly for art, music, interventions or grade-level classrooms rather than to house a single program.
The Community Consolidated School District 59 Board of Education on May 7 approved the purchase and installation of portable classroom units for John Jay Elementary School, with the district estimating total cost including water and electrical connections at approximately $440,984.
District staff clarified the units are intended to add flexible instructional space for the school — examples cited included art and music, interventions or an extra grade-level classroom — and are not being installed to house a single specific program. “It’s not a specific program or a group of students that are moving placed out there. It’ll really be the needs of the building,” a staff member said when board members requested clarification.
Board members asked whether the decision related to shifts in dual-language program enrollment. Staff explained the district’s dual-language choice program draws students from across the north side and that boundary shifts and classroom capacities at other schools have contributed to increased enrollment pressure at John Jay; feeder schools discussed in the meeting included Forest View, Brentwood, Frost and Juliette Lowe.
The motion to purchase the portable units passed by roll call vote. Staff said the units will require permits for occupancy and that the schools will decide how to schedule uses (art/music, interventions or classrooms) based on building needs.
The board also discussed the broader facilities plan and noted the purchase fits within the district’s regular facility-maintenance and capacity-management work.
