Board approves planning for Centennial Choice campus and Langston Hughes classroom addition

The USD 497 Board of Education voted 7-0 to approve planning and development for two capital projects: a Choice campus at the Centennial site intended as a nontraditional, flexible high-school option; and an addition of classrooms at Langston Hughes Elementary to address current overcapacity.

Choice campus at Centennial: Superintendent Dr. Anthony Swift told the board the Centennial campus would offer flexible day/evening, self-paced and credit-recovery options and could serve full-time and part-time students who need an alternative to the comprehensive high school model. The district described Centennial as a building with existing athletic and storage uses but said the proposed plan would preserve athletic functions while reconfiguring space for a small, student-choice program. Dr. Swift said the proposal is at a concept stage and would return with a detailed plan and budget if the board supports continuing planning.

Langston Hughes Elementary addition: The board also approved planning for classroom additions at Langston Hughes to increase the building's capacity. The district said Langston Hughes enrollment stood at about 591 students and that an expansion could raise capacity from the current approximate 550 to roughly 700 students; the figures were presented as estimates to be refined during design. District officials said construction options would seek to minimize classroom disruption, consider precast systems for speed and include expanded cafeteria/common space and storm-shelter improvements.

Board members discussed alternatives such as boundary shifts, modular classrooms and timing; administrators said boundary shifts are not a practical short-term fix and the district favors permanent classroom additions. Board approval covers planning and development; cost estimates, final designs and construction timetables will be presented for board approval at later meetings.

Vote: Motion passed 7-0.