Classroom improvements at Compass Academy in St. Charles being put on hold

An estimated $1.8 million in classroom improvements in the recently opened Compass Academy will be put on hold as St. Charles School Board members continue to study the need for such improvements.

Compass Academy opened in the fall in the Haines Center, which is the former Haines Middle School. The district promotes the program as one that allows for flexible scheduling, project-based learning, interdisciplinary courses and competency-based education that also allows students to enroll in college classes while still in high school.

The improvements are being planned for the building’s ‘E’ wing. District officials said there is a need for modern science labs and additional teaching space to accommodate growing enrollment at Compass Academy. It currently has an enrollment of 86 students and that is expected to grow to between 175 and 200 students in the 2023-2024 school year.

However, School Board members would have to move quickly to put the project out to bid. Dan Kritta, a partner with Wold Architects, noted that it is a tight time frame and there is no guarantee the project would be done by this time next year.

“We’re already pinching that window of availability,” Kritta said in addressing School Board members at the board’s Business Services Committee meeting on Monday.

Board member Becky McCabe said it wouldn’t be right to proceed with the project at this time.

“I would prefer to wait if we can, knowing that the students can still get what they need by going over to North or East,” she said. “I know it’s not what we would call optimal by any means.”

She also said further work should be done to determine “if that wing could be used for other things as well.”

A project to remove asbestos-containing materials in the building’s wing is estimated to cost $180,000. The project would be done in conjunction with the planned improvements.