Politics & Government
Racine Unified Board Approves Feasibility Study for McKinley Middle School Expansion
Company says they can pay for a building expansion with district energy savings, School Board says it needs to watch its pennies.
In about two months, the Racine Unified School District Board of Education expects to learn if a science and technology classroom addition to McKinley Middle School is economically feasible.
The School Board on Monday (July 18) unanimously approved a proposal from the Trane Company to proceed with a feasibility study for the school at 2340 Mohr Ave. The findings will be shared with the board at a work session in September or October.
Trane, a provider of HVAC systems, has developed successful “green” projects and provided STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) curriculum to school districts throughout the country, said Mike Stanczyk, account manager with Trane Wisconsin.
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For RUSD, Trane will evaluate an addition of classrooms and a new library as well as energy efficiency improvement to McKinley. There is no charge to the district to prepare the study. The report will include project details and financing mechanisms that could include a lease arrangement.
The addition would be designed to be so highly efficient that it would not add to McKinley’s overall energy usage, said Frank Jarosz, RUSD’s facilities management director.
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Stanczyk said that Trane would provide the ability to track the energy usage of school buildings in real time, which he called an excellent learning tool for students. “What happens when you turn off the lights? You’ll see the meter change,” he said.
Trane has also proposed that the McKinley addition be shared with Gateway Technical College. Bryan Albrecht, Gateway’s president, said the proposal is “one of the most innovative and creative” that Gateway has been involved with. He added that Gateway wants to support STEM curriculum within the community.
Dr. Ann Yehle, McKinley’s directing principal, told the School Board that the partnership with Trane and Gateway would help shore up the school’s STEM offerings that are an important component of International Baccalaureate accreditation for middle years students.
“Our staff identified areas where we knew that additional help was needed. One was STEM—we needed both technical and curriculum help,” she said.
Board members, while supportive of the initial step, indicated that they wanted to learn more specifics before making any further commitments.
“Bear in mind the financial condition of this school district,” said Board Member Dennis Wiser. “We have to count every penny in this district.”
