Board approves modular building contract for Battle Ground Virtual Academy; move planned after winter break

The Battle Ground School District board on May 27 approved a contract to construct a modular building for Battle Ground Virtual Academy, voting 4–0 to accept a purchase and installation agreement through a cooperative purchasing contract.

The building will sit on the Prairie High School site near the tennis courts and Wilco Avenue, district facilities staff said. The modular structure is configured as a 10‑unit cluster with roughly 25 teacher offices and two small classrooms; designers and staff said the layout gives individual teachers private teaching space rather than shared open rooms.

Facilities director Paul Joma told the board that modular construction reduces schedule risk and factory-built units avoid on‑site exposure to weather, but that a busy factory schedule delayed delivery. He said the district originally hoped for an earlier opening but now expects the modulars to arrive in September and for occupancy to happen after the 2026 winter break.

Funding and constraints

The project will be paid from growth‑related impact fees collected from development permits, not from the district operating levy. Joma said impact fees are limited to capital projects tied to growth and cannot be used for operating expenses such as teacher salaries or maintenance staffing.

Board members asked several clarifying questions about the design and operating impacts of a building with many individual rooms. Joma said the 25 small offices reflect the virtual program’s need for private teaching spaces; he acknowledged those rooms create more individual HVAC and lighting circuits and added modest per‑square‑foot mechanical complexity compared with a single classroom cluster.

Board action

A director moved to approve the contract and the motion passed 4–0.

What commenters said

Earlier in the meeting staff and several BGVA teachers and parents had spoken in favor of on‑site leadership and continuity for the online program, arguing an on‑site principal supports compliance, teacher evaluation and program growth. The modular project was presented to the board as part of that effort to provide more permanent and expanded space for the district’s online program.

Next steps

District staff will coordinate modular delivery, site preparation and required permits and expects to announce a construction and occupancy schedule to the board and public as dates firm up.