$30M in Improvements Slated for Brooklyn Center Schools
The halls of Brooklyn Center High School are practically empty. But they won’t be for long. Staff members are busy preparing for another school year. When classes resume after Labor Day, the students will enter a building that school officials say is out of date.
“Too much time has gone by where our students are being asked to, on a daily basis, learn in an environment that is not equipped to deliver the very best and create the very best and brightest,” said Carly Baker, superintendent of Brooklyn Center Schools.
The high school building was erected in the early 1960s. It’s easy to spot the wear and tear on everything from desks to cabinets and everything in between.
“It doesn’t send the right message to our community, or to our students, about what we believe about their worth,” Baker said.
That’s why, starting in January, the district will begin a project that will give the school nearly $30 million in necessary improvements to classroom spaces.
“Each of our classrooms will be renovated so they are up to date,” Baker said. “Classroom furnishings will be done so that they are brought into our current decade.”
Security a Major Component
It will be a complete transformation at Brooklyn Center High School. Crews will create separate spaces between the middle and high schools, which are housed in the same building.
Security is also going to be a major component of the construction. Currently, the receptionist can’t see who’s at the door. But with safety being paramount, they plan to make significant upgrades.
“We have to be very aware of outside intruders, forces, things that would jeopardize the safety of staff and students potentially,” Baker said.
Baker says the improvements are long overdue. But they’re finally possible thanks to a voter referendum passed by voters in November.
“We are incredibly grateful to our community because it sends a larger message from the community that they believe in investing in our children,” she said.
Construction will begin in January and will take a year to complete. During that time, students in grades 9 through 12 will relocate to a yet-to-be-determined building within the district.
