DMPS and city outline Reimagine Education implementation: construction on track, Moulton moved, two options proposed for signature-school enrollment

Des Moines Public Schools and city leaders met in a joint work session March 24 for an in-depth Reimagine Education update during which district project manager Dr. Becca Harris described progress on construction, school transitions, regional alignment, signature-school design and rollout, CTE makerspaces, athletics investments, and a communications plan.

Construction and schedule: Harris said year-1 construction projects are either on track or ahead of schedule. A trial of the Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) procurement model produced higher-than-expected quotes for one classroom-addition project; the district pivoted that project back to a design-bid-build approach and reported no net delay across the portfolio. Year-2 design work is also largely ahead of schedule.

School transitions and Moulton: Walnut Street families and staff placement processes are complete, and the district has set a target move-out date of June 18, 2026. Moulton staff and students will be relocated to Kurtz Opportunity School for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years. Harris said demolition of the Moulton building is scheduled for…