Beach Elementary opens new spaces as facilities team reports staffing and summer projects

Beach Elementary’s new building welcomed students and staff this fall with expanded instructional and support spaces, and Cedar Springs Public Schools’ facilities leaders told the board the district completed a heavy slate of summer projects to prepare buildings for the school year.

Administrators said the Beach Elementary media center, breakout rooms and larger sensory spaces are now in use and are designed to let interventionists pull students for focused reading and math work without long schedule disruptions. The principal said teachers are using leveled “baskets” of books and decodable texts in classrooms, and the school adjusted its 30-minute "WIN" intervention schedule so students receive both reading and math support on different days.

The district’s assistant director of facilities, Stafford Chap, told the board the facilities department filled most open positions after summer turnover but still has two vacancies. Chap said the summer work included deep cleaning, carpet work, floor refinishing, teacher moves and preparatory work for reopening Beach and Cedar Trails. Chap also described a districtwide swap of toilet tissue dispensers to a higher-quality unit provided at no charge with a lifetime warranty, which he said should cut costs over time.

Maintenance staff described a wide range of summer tasks: landscaping and mulching, HVAC preventive maintenance on every classroom air handler, furniture storage and redistribution, concrete work for wayfinding signs, playground prep and support for stadium and field maintenance. The maintenance lead said the district coordinated drills, first-aid and CPR training, camera and card reader placement with technology, and worked with school resource officers on campus safety.

Board members asked about landscaping capacity and whether contracted crews handle weed pulling; staff said the contracted landscaping crew primarily mows and trims and is not staffed to perform daily weed removal without additional contracting. The facilities team said summer help and internal crews performed extensive grooming and grounds work beyond routine landscaping.

Administrators also discussed preservation and relocation of historical elements, including a bell that had been moved to a visible campus location, and ongoing coordination with principals and contractors on punch-list work for recently completed projects.

The board received the update; no formal vote was required.