Davenport City Council hears plans to renovate Smart Middle School

Linda Cook
·1 min read
Davenport City Council hears plans to renovate Smart Middle School

Davenport City Council members learned Tuesday about plans for the renovation of Smart Middle School as part of a facilities plan for the Davenport Community Schools District.

The presentation was part of a management update and mayor/council discussion Tuesday afternoon.

(davenportschools.org)
(davenportschools.org)

The district plans to provide an expansion and renovation to the existing facility to support the middle-school curriculum and integration of sixth grade at Smart.

The plans are for a “house model” within the academic wings of the building. Because it’s one of the buildings most in need of improvement, Smart is one of the first projects in the facilities plan.

Plans include:

  • Expansion of the cafeteria to improve efficiency for lunch

  • Additional classroom space to meet needs of additional students and programs and to allow the “house” approach

  • Additional gym space to improve instruction because of a larger population

  • Improve spaces for FCE, CTE and STEM

  • Improve site safety and logistics, parking and outdoor student activity space

  • Removal of the Monroe Elementary building.

“None of our taxes will be increasing for this,” District Superintendent TJ Schneckloth said. The project will cost an estimated $52 to $54 million. Students will be able to remain in the building during construction.

Students will be on three floors, with the six-graders on the top floor.

In 2022, Davenport Community School District decided to close three elementary schools – Monroe, Washington and Buchanan – as part of its long-term facilities plan.

Administrators said Monroe and Washington are too old and expensive to maintain and enrollment at Buchanan is too low to stay open.

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