District provides Jenkins Elementary update: partial occupancy planned for August; mobile units to be placed

Superintendent Goll briefed the Board on Jenkins Elementary during the special meeting April 16 and provided a status update on repairs, temporary classroom plans and community engagement.

The superintendent said the district’s priorities are safety, keeping students together for instruction, minimizing dislocation of staff and families, and maintaining Jenkins as a community regardless of building changes. He said contract awards for repairs to the gym and media center were finalized the prior week and that crews should be on site soon.

For the upcoming year, district staff are planning partial occupancy in August using mobile classroom units; renderings of a new academic wing were shared with the district and the team has submitted plans to regional and state building departments and to the Colorado Springs Fire Department, the superintendent said. He said the district expects to finalize classroom assignments and scheduling by May and that a final community meeting will be held before the end of the school year.

The superintendent thanked parents and community members for participation in recent town halls and said students report feeling supported in their temporary learning environments. He noted that some students who were displaced this year are already reporting positive experiences in their temporary assignments.

Ending: district staff said they will continue to update the Board and the community, finalize mobile unit placements and publicize classroom assignments before the new school year.