Innovative Academies subcommittee outlines program building blocks; 31 planned as traditional elementary, 32 flagged as option for different design

The Innovative Academies subcommittee presented a design‑thinking summary of possible “building blocks” for future academy models and discussed whether newly funded elementary schools from the 2023 bond could be used for innovative programming.

What the subcommittee presented The subcommittee grouped hundreds of ideas gathered from parents, students, teachers and community members into eleven theme areas: empowered academic acceleration; advanced learning pathways; personalized learning and student leadership; well‑being and sustainability; innovative career readiness; community‑powered and equitable learning; and others. The group organized those themes by feasibility (ground: immediately attainable; airplane: attainable in the next five years; satellite: aspirational).

Elementary 31 and 32 status and options Committee members recommended that Elementary 31 — where design and construction documents are advanced — remain a traditional elementary campus to relieve north‑area capacity pressures. Presenters noted site‑specific infrastructure work in the area (road and utility projects) makes a near‑term nonstandard redesign difficult.

For Elementary 32, which is still at a predesign stage, presenters said there is more flexibility. The committee suggested the district could consider alternative design or programmatic elements tied to an innovative academy model at that site, but emphasized that design changes would require more time and would shift the delivery timeline.

How the ideas would be used Presenters said the eleven theme areas are not fixed program labels but building blocks: district leaders could combine elements (for example, academic acceleration plus career exposure plus community learning hubs) into project specifications. The specifications could then be run through the facility‑optimization rubric to test which campus best fits a given academy model.

Board direction and next steps Trustees asked administration to take the subcommittee’s themes and produce a practical framework — project specifications for candidate academy models — that administration could then evaluate against the facility matrix and return with timelines and resource implications. Trustees emphasized the need for consistent messaging and equitable roll‑out so promising practices do not remain isolated to single campuses.

Quotes “These ideas are not individual programs — they are building blocks for whole schools,” said Dustin Mitoker, assistant superintendent for Advanced Academies and Pathways, summarizing the subcommittee’s approach.

Ending The subcommittee’s writeups and theme list will be used to craft demonstration project specifications for discussion with trustees and affected communities; administration said it will return with recommended next steps, timelines and how any changes would affect the 31/32 construction schedule.