SOUTH WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. — The Parkland School District now has two final options for how it will address projected overcrowding in its schools.
Superintendent Mark Madson and his team presented two pathways to the Parkland School Board at Tuesday night’s meeting.
- There are now two final options for addressing projected overcrowding in Parkland's middle and high schools
- Pathway A includes building additions to the high school and Orefield Middle School
- Pathway B includes building a new middle school and renovating Orefield Middle School, which would then become a ninth-grade center
The board will vote on the pathways at either its September or October meeting.
Pathway A includes building additions to the high school and Orefield Middle School. Costs could range from $160 million to $183 million. Madson said in an interview that he prefers this pathway.
Pathway B includes building a new middle school and renovating Orefield Middle School, which would then become a ninth-grade center. Costs could range from $216 million to $250 million.
Feasibility Study Presentation 8.15.23 by LVNewsdotcom on Scribd
The two proposed pathways are different versions of Option One — the first of three options presented at past meetings, according to Madson.
"Providing options to move forward based on where enrollment goes I think is good for the board.”Superintendent Mark Madson
Madson said his team decided to make the pathways flexible so that the board could revise them in the future.
“One thing we’ve learned to recognize that we hadn’t before is that we can’t pick one thing to do, because we have capacity concerns at the middle schools and the high school,” Madson said.
“And so providing options to move forward based on where enrollment goes I think is good for the board.”
The middle and high schools are projected to exceed capacity in the coming decade if action is not taken soon, according to an ongoing feasibility study conducted by RLPS Architects called Vision 2030.
The district considered building a new high school, but decided it is not feasible because of the cost and potential inequities between the schools.
Pathway A
The first step in Pathway A would be building additions at the high school, which is estimated to be completed by the end of 2026, according to the presentation.
The additions would be about 60,000 square feet. They would bring more space that could be used for low-incidence disability instruction and STEM education. Officials are also considering using the space for a “school-within-a-school” for ninth-graders.
The second step would be additions and renovations to Orefield Middle School, which is estimated to be completed by mid-2028, according to the presentation.
The additions would be about 65,000 square feet. The district would build a larger cafeteria, special education classrooms, a music classroom, counseling spaces and more in the additional space.
The additions would increase capacity by 600 students. The projected enrollment for Orefield Middle School is below that increase, so the middle schools would likely be redistricted to offset increased Springhouse Middle School enrollment.
Pathway B
The first step in Pathway B would be building a middle school, which is estimated to be completed by the end of 2028.
It would be about 227,000 square feet and would have a capacity of 1,402 students. It would be located in the southern portion of the district, although a specific site has not been chosen.
The next step in Pathway B would be renovations to Orefield Middle School, which are estimated to be completed by the end of 2031.
Madson said the construction would be staggered in this pathway because of the cost to the district.
The renovations could include the addition of performing arts classrooms and expanding the weight room, according to a diagram on the presentation.
Orefield Middle School could then become a ninth-grade center. Madson acknowledged that this plan would delay addressing Parkland High School overcrowding, which may not be feasible for the district.
