The school administration and Board of Education began the planning process for this issue in June of 2016. Their first order of business was a facilities assessment on top of staff and community surveys.

The East Lansing Public Schools teamed up with Gordon M. Buitendorp Architecture + Engineering, or GMB, to develop a set of guiding principles that would inform the design for each of the elementary school projects, said GMB marketing staff member Shelly VandeWege.

She said the principles include the overall learning experience, student safety and sustainable design.

The first two buildings that were reconstructed from the ground up were Donley Elementary and Glencairn Elementary, both of which reopened their doors to students in August for the 2019-20 school year.

The design

"Our new buildings include features and spaces that reflect 21st century learning," ELPS Superintendent Dori Leyko said.

This includes consideration of connections to link the indoors to the outdoors both visually and physically, states GMB's website.

The classrooms are now set up to be paired, sharing an adjoined small group space to allow for more collaborative school work. "These breakout rooms allow for resources to be pushed into the classroom, rather than pulling students out for services," VandeWege said.

The upper elementary rooms also feature an operable wall, allowing classrooms to combine for group/co-teaching, as well as flexible furniture like sit-to-stand desks, benches, soft seating and natural lighting.

There was also a STEAM/Flex lab put in to be used for science instruction and experimentation. STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics.

Specifically for Glencairn Elementary, a sloped roof allows it to fit in well with the existing and supporting residential character, while simultaneously keeping it separate from the look of the other four schools.

The safety

The East Lansing school district is unique with a large percentage of students that walk or bike to school because the buildings are nestled into established neighborhoods, states GMB's website.

Safety and security were thought through in layers, starting from how to go about allowing basic entry into the grounds and down to the barriers of each individual classroom.

Vehicular traffic was coordinated to ensure the separation from both bikes and pedestrians, and a clear and open entrance was implemented to allow the school to control who enters their building.

The sustainability

The new elementary school models provide energy from geothermal heat pumps because the method is more efficient for heating and cooling, VandeWege said.

The kitchen design in the cafeteria has an infrastructure for dishwashing equipment that eliminates the need to depend on disposable serving items. "The previous buildings did not have dishwashing equipment," VandeWege said. "So they have historically utilized disposable trays."

These new buildings have the ability to reduce waste.

The school designs leverage passive sustainability measures, such as the orientation of the building or how it is positioned on the site.

"The concept of the buildings can be oriented to capture and or avoid direct sun, which helps control heating and cooling usage and costs," VandeWege said.

What remains

As for the other buildings, Pinecrest Elementary and Whitehills Elementary are both currently under construction, with an anticipated completion in time for the 2020-21 school year.

Marble Elementary is going out to bid in December 2019, with an anticipated completion in late summer 2021.

Phase two renovations at Red Cedar Elementary will be completed in the summer of 2020 and will be utilized for preschool and elementary programs.

New catchment areas will be put in place for two of these elementary schools.

Pinecrest will be south of Woodingham Drive, extending east to Abbot Road and west to U.S. Highway 127 and including the single home at the corner of Woodingham Drive and Cornbrook Road.

When students are set to return to Pinecrest Elementary, those living outside of the borders noted above will move into Glencairn Elementary or will be subject to request a permeable boundary to remain at Pinecrest Elementary if space is available - fifth grade students may opt to stay for their last year.

Red Cedar will be south of Michigan Avenue and west of Hagadorn Road, encompassing Spartan Village, the Flower Pot, Ivanhoe neighborhoods and 1855 Place when it is no longer being used as a "swing school."

Other district boundary shifts have yet to be decided and implemented, but will go into effect for the fall of 2021.

As for work on the district's middle and high schools, this falls outside the scope of this particular bond issue. These buildings have already been added onto and or renovated more recently.