Construction starting soon on new Condra School campus downtown
A Lubbock charter school catering to special learning differences should soon have a new home in what has been a dilapidated downtown building, brightening up the city — and the future.
The Betty M. Condra School for Education Innovation, which opened in 2019 and is currently housed in the Legacy Event Center on 13th Street, is hoping to be in its new building at 10th and Avenue M by January, according to school officials.
The school plans to renovate around 23,000 square feet of the building, a former medical facility that has long been vacant, in hopes to give the school room to grow and serve more students. Around 200 students were enrolled this past school year.
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"We've actually tripled in size" since the school's initial class, said Lisa Sheek, director of community outreach and family liaison for the Condra School. "As of this year, we had a waiting list for most of our grades ... so, that's where we decided we need a larger school so that we can accommodate more children."
The Condra School serves students in kindergarten through fifth grade who struggle with learning differences such as dyslexia or ADHD.
"We actually started the school because of the need for services for children that are dyslexic, and statistically, about 20 percent of people in our community are dyslexic," Sheek said. "But, we're a fabulous school for any child that wants a smaller class with more individualized instruction. With our children, if they need extra help, they get extra help in small groups. If a child is excelling in a subject, they continue to excel.
"We know where all of our children are."
Sheek said the new facility will be an asset not only to Condra's students, but also to downtown revitalization efforts and the Lubbock community at large.
"It's a really cool project, and the school brings so much value to our community because, one, it’s going to brighten up downtown … and we’re also bringing over a hundred families every day to bring their money and their business into downtown."
The project will be funded largely by grants, private donations and fundraisers, like a Masquerade Ball coming up on Oct. 20. More information on that event is available at condraschool.com.
Currently, the school's general contractor Lee Lewis Construction is in the process of obtaining building permits and receiving bids for subcontract work. Construction is expected to begin as early as July and wrap up in December.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Construction starting soon new Condra School campus downtown Lubbock
