A new, more secure, entrance to Brook Forest School, construction of which began March 28, is only the beginning of a budgeted $18 million in improvements scheduled for that building and for Butler Junior High.
The Butler Elementary District 53 Board approved funding for the project in December 2021 for work that will be done over the next three years. Money for the work will come from reserves and the sale of bonds, Superintendent Paul O’Malley said.
“It’s an incredibly exciting time for our district,” he said. “The three major parts of this work are life safety, security and a ‘wow factor’ in our classrooms. This is going to have a significant impact on the ebb and flow that is so much better than in the past.”
Bob Jakupi, District 53’s director of buildings and grounds, said he is hopeful that remodeling to create a better use of classroom space should lead to a better learning environment with adequate space to do so.
“We’re making the existing space more efficient,” he said. “Its all about creating the best possible environment for our students and teachers.”
Jakupi mentioned changes inside of Brook Forest School classrooms as a big need.
“Brook Forest was built in 1970 with an open-classroom concept,” he said. “Partition walls were later added, but those are not acoustically sound.”
Most of the work for the project will be done over the next three summers. District 53 summer school courses will be held virtually because of construction.
The new entrance at Brook Forest will require visitors to come into the building through the school office. Currently, visitors are buzzed into the building by someone in the office through a non-office door to the outside.
Along with the new building entrance, Phase I of the Brook Forest work includes the addition of an elevator and a new administrative office, Jakupi said. Phase II includes squaring off classroom spaces, remodeling, and new floors and furniture. Phase III includes moving the art room to the main floor from the lower level, to allow for natural light, and moving the cafeteria, which is now in the gym, downstairs.
“The original cafeteria was downstairs,” Jakupi said.
Planned work at Butler Junior High includes the remodeling of classrooms, with new floors and furnishings, along with the addition of more book shelves and storage space.
“There’s very little shelving in the classrooms now,” Jakupi said.
As is the case at Brook Forest, an elevator will be installed at Butler Junior High.
Work slated for this summer at Butler Junior High includes the remodeling of four classrooms and new administrative offices. That work is scheduled to begin in June, Jakupi said. The initial work at both schools should be done by August, he said.
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“I’ve been here almost 19 years, and every summer we’ve had some significant construction,” Jakupi said. “I’m very excited about what we’ll be doing over the next three years.”
Chuck Fieldman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.