Committee approves traffic and engineering study as high‑school administrators seek temporary use of existing middle school

The Facility Committee on Sept. 4 voted to hire traffic and civil‑engineering consultants to study student circulation and vehicle interactions if high‑school administration uses the existing middle‑school building on a short‑term basis beginning Sept. 1, 2026.

Why it matters: high‑school administrators proposed moving select programs (including family and consumer science and possibly a department) and using the middle‑school cafeteria and other spaces to give each high‑school teacher a classroom. That plan would increase student crossings between two sites and raise safety and circulation questions.

Rebecca, a project staff member, said the district asked a local civil engineer, Roxanne Johnson, and traffic experts who have previously worked on school projects to conduct an independent review during the fall while school is in session. The scope would analyze short‑term circulation patterns, recommend vehicle‑control measures such as gates on Community Drive (administration said the village had given the district the right to gate or close Community Drive during school hours) and return to the committee with recommendations before September 2026.

Dr. Brown, a staff member, said the study would identify “the safest student circulation in the short term” and reduce liability by having a third party evaluate the plan. Committee members moved and seconded the study authorization; the motion passed on a voice vote.

Administration also framed the study as an initial step toward broader reuse decisions for the existing middle school: the district could end leases for an off‑site wellness clinic and an alternative placement program and move those services into the school, a change staff estimated could save about $45,000 for the wellness clinic and about $30,000 for the alternative placement program. Staff said those are preliminary estimates and that more detailed financial analysis would follow if the board directs further study.

Next steps: consultants will analyze traffic patterns while school is in session and return to the committee with recommended short‑term circulation controls, gate options and any facility changes needed for safely managing student flows between buildings. The committee will consider the consultants’ recommendations before any operational decisions are made for September 2026.

Ending note: committee members supported the study as a prudent, short‑term safety step ahead of broader master‑planning decisions for the high‑school campus.