DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — Tuesday night's Board of Education continued it's stalemate in deciding how to proceed with the Dennis Lab.
After the Mosaic and Kaleidoscope campuses closed due to structural issues in June 2023, Dennis students and teachers had been relocated to Garfield Alternative School and modular classrooms.
Dennis parent, Mark Glause, expressed his frustration with the district's lack of communication with parents. "We parents have things to say, please ask us for our perspectives and stop treating us as though we are the ones at fault for not reaching out to you...We are the people that you represent."
A presentation by BLDD Architects detailed a safety survey conducted in buildings across the district. They split the schools into three priority categories: Urgent, Required, and Recommended.
Urgent items are to be corrected as soon as possible, but no later than one year following the State Superintendent of Education's approval. At the top of the Urgent list is South Shores Elementary Schools, with repairs totaling to $58,335. All Urgent items total to $11,685.
Required items are to be completed within 5 years of the State Superintendent of Education's approval. American Dreamer STEM Academy -- at the top of the list -- has an estimated $4,096,855 worth of repairs. All Required items total to $20,340,079. Without the cost of roofing, required items total $11,774,545.
Recommended items are not required by code, but can consist of things like added security, sidewalks or playgrounds, or accessibility needs.
The total cost of all items in the Urgent and Required categories surpasses $24 million.
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