Officials plan to hold a groundbreaking ceremony Friday morning for a $40 million middle school in Chicago Heights — the first such new facility there in decades.
District 170 Superintendent Thomas Amadio said the school at 1021 Dixie Highway will be the first newly constructed one in Chicago Heights in decades. It also is the first school exclusively for sixth, seventh and eighth graders in more than 15 years, he said.
The facility, slated to open for the 2020-21 school year, will accommodate more than 900 students. The 150,000 square foot school will feature open classrooms designed to stimulate a collaborative learning environment. The facility also features rooms for vocations, like woodworking, officials said.
“We’re trying to reimagine what classrooms look like,” Louis Angellotti, a Chicago Heights School District 170 spokesman said. “The setting will be designed to enhance (students’) learning environment and enhance their experience.”
Amadio said the district worked for two years with architects and education experts at Harvard University to design the school, and looks forward to its opening.
“It’s going to be so much different from any school you’ve seen before,” Amadio said. “At the end of the day, it’s all about the opportunities and experiences for kids. The kids here are finally going to have opportunities they always should’ve had.”
The school is being financed by a Qualified School Construction Bond from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, which allows the district to borrow money at a nominal zero percent rate for the construction and rehabilitation of schools. District 170 was one of 29 districts in the state to receive the QSCB, a part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
The zero percent rate on the bond means the project will not lead to an increase in Chicago Heights residents’ property tax bills, district officials said. The new school’s property previously belonged to the City of Chicago Heights, Chicago Heights Mayor David Gonzalez said. The city gave the property to the district, he said.
“Education is a top priority for us,” Gonzalez said. “We’re going to reap long term benefits from this school.”
More Top Picks Best Handheld Shower Heads For Seniors
The school’s location will allow for collaboration with Bloom High School, located across the street. The new middle school will aid students in their transition to high school, Angellotti said.
“This school will not only benefit us but will also benefit Bloom because 95 percent of our grads end up attending school there,” Angellotti said. “We’ll be so close to Bloom, we’ll be able to share facilities with them.”
Middle school students will be able to use Bloom’s athletic facilities, classrooms and an auditorium, allowing for cost savings for the new facility.
Angellotti said residents have shown overwhelming support, with some wondering whether a new school with no property tax increase can actually be a reality.
“We’ve had nothing but positive feedback,” Angellotti said. “Some residents thought it was too good to be true.”
The QSCB also includes funds for the rehabilitation of some of District 170’s aging schools. Angellotti said none of District 170’s current schools will be shut down or demolished because of the new school. Schools that once served sixth through eighth graders will be reconfigured as kindergarten through fifth grade facilities, he said. The district currently operates 11 schools in Chicago Heights and South Chicago Heights.
Officials have yet to name the new planned school.
Those invited to the ceremony include officials from District 170 and Bloom Township District 206, Gonzalez, Chicago Heights and South Chicago Heights trustees, state Rep. Anthony DeLuca, D-Chicago Heights, and others, Angellotti said.