District Administration - October 2010 - (Page 26)

Facilities Warren County (Ky.) PubliC Schools is a growing district, adding two to three hundred students per year to the already sizeable district of 13,000 students. With an influx of refugee students and several large industries attracting families, Warren County is no stranger to overcrowding issues. The district has been tackling the problem by adding seven schools over the last 10 years. South Warren Middle and High School, which opened its doors to students august 3, has the distinction of being the largest school in Kentucky and the largest insulated concrete form (iCF) building in the nation. The $67 million building, consisting of 334,000 square feet across seven acres, is home to 750 high school and 459 middle school students. its shape, says Joanie Hendricks, public relations coordinator at Warren County Public Schools, is that of a boomerang. to maintain separate identities, the middle school is on one side and the high school on the other. The school was paid for with voter approved bonds. Br iefings by Marion Herbert Kentucky Opens its Largest School RM Education The newly opened South Warren (Ky.) Middle and High School is is the largest insulated concrete form building in the nation. An architectural rendering of South Warren’s media center. “The new school has alleviated the crowding issue and cleared up the hallways in the older schools,” says tim Murley, Warren County Public Schools superintendent. an iCF building is one that is constructed of lego-looking blocks filled with concrete and that provide triple the amount of insulation of most buildings. “We are quite proud we are going as green as we can, but even more proud we can provide quality buildings for our students,” says Murley. Moreover, says Hendricks, reviews from the students at South Warren Middle and High School have all been positive. “The kids get really excited about being in a new building and being the first to use the desks and lockers.” next up, the district will open an elementary school equipped with solar panels in mid-october. it will be a netzero-energy school, which means it will produce as much energy as it consumes. LA Unified Opens Most Expensive School Complex FOr AlMOst 30 yeArs, tHOusAnDs OF lOs Angeles unified school students in the Mid-Wilshire district have been waking up early to be bused to schools farther away in their district. As of sept. 13, those students are within walking distance of their new school complex, robert F. Kennedy Community schools. the complex Courtesy Gonzales Architects, Magnus Stark cost $578 million, which makes it the most expensive school in lAusD and perhaps the country. It contains six pilot schools for elementary through high school students at the site of the former Ambassador Hotel. the complex is part of a Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools cost $578 million to build. larger plan to build 131 26 October 2010 new schools across lAusD. the project—paid for with a combination of voter-approved bond dollars, special assessments against property taxes, and a state program that matches funds—began in 2000 and is projected to be complete in 2012. the price tag has raised some eyebrows nationwide. edwin Van ginkel, senior development manager with lAusD, says the cost escalated when construction costs in los Angeles spiked in 2006 when bidding for the property began. the district entered bidding wars for the property with historic preservationists and Donald trump, who had hoped to build the world’s largest tower at the site. grandiose as it may be, the rFK Community schools is intended to be a neighborhood school. “Kids are at risk when they make transitions to schools,” says Van ginkel. “Most of the kids entering kindergarten will stay on this campus through graduation. We hope they’ll be excited about the history and excited about the region.” District Administration

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - October 2010

District Administration - October 2010
Contents
From the Editor
Letters
News Update
Curriculum Update
Facilities Update
District Profile
Administrator Profile
Conversations
The Price of a Good Education
Dividing Arizona
Making Your School Future-Proof
Connecting Curriculum with Community
A Small District’s Big Innovator
New Books
New Products
Product Focus
Tech Disruptions
Superintendent’s Insights
Online Edge
Professional Opinion

District Administration - October 2010