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Centennial SD committee recommends year‑one funding to reopen high school planetarium
Summary
The district committee recommended sending a year‑one capital request of about $86,000 to the full board to make the planetarium operational for internal school use, while looking for grants and partnerships to fund a later, larger upgrade.
The Centennial School District education committee recommended sending a year‑one capital request to the full board that would spend about $86,000 to get the high‑school planetarium working for district students, with administrators promising to seek grants and sponsorships before pursuing larger upgrades.
The recommendation matters because it would move an unused facility back into service for classroom use as early as this summer while keeping broader modernization decisions on hold pending outside funding. Committee members emphasized that the year‑one approval is limited to making the system operable for internal instruction, with a later decision required to fund external programs and higher‑quality projectors.
Administrators explained the two‑phase approach during the committee discussion. “If we spend the 86 and get it up and running and it’s working for our students internally, working is working,” said Anthony, a district staff member who described the plan to bring the planetarium online for classes and electives. Anthony and other staff said the initial investment covers mechanical and software steps needed to make the facility usable in the short term; further upgrades to the projector and additional show libraries would require substantially more money.
District staff described the immediate budget request as roughly $86,000 from capital funds plus a smaller teaching‑and‑learning allocation (discussed as about $7,000 in the meeting) to cover software and initial installation. Officials said a fuller, external‑facing buildout could cost about $300,000 for high‑quality projectors and expanded programming, and that the district would only pursue that level of spending if grants, sponsorships or partner revenue covered the cost.
Staff noted the planetarium has been inactive since the COVID‑19 pandemic. They said making it operational internally would save the district money on field trips and expand local curricular options. “We have to take the baby step of year 1,” a district presenter said, adding that the district will use the year to pursue NASA grants, corporate sponsorships and alumni fundraising.
Committee members asked how soon the space could be used and how many seats it holds. Staff said the installed seating currently accommodates about 66 people and that an installer’s recent assessment indicated there may be capacity for more after a formal measure and fire marshal review. If the year‑one approval is granted, staff said they would place equipment orders to have the planetarium functional for summer programming and initial internal use in the next school year.
The committee recommended that the six items on its agenda — including the planetarium year‑one request — be moved to the full board for consideration at the board meeting on May 27; that referral passed the committee by a 3‑0 vote.
If the board approves year one, administrators said they will proceed with installation, then spend a year seeking grants and sponsorships before asking the board to approve larger, external‑facing upgrades.
