Estimates, plans for Neosho STEAM school develop
Aug. 19—NEOSHO, Mo. — Neosho Board of Education members and district patrons have a better idea of how much it will cost to transform the Haas building into an elementary school and what it will look like.
An initial cost estimate submitted by Paragon Architecture places the cost at around $8.76 million, including construction, furnishings and equipment. The estimate, presented to board members during their regular meeting Monday, is based on 60% completion of design work.
A final price is expected to be presented in September, Superintendent Jim Cummins said, and the district hopes to go out for bids in October. The district has hired Branco Enterprises Inc. as the project's construction manager.
"We are pleased with the estimates so far," Cummins said. "We can hope they come down as we get more comfortable with the pieces of the project."
The district bought the building for $1.15 million in December from owner Phil Edwards. Located at 201 N. Washington St., about a block away from Neosho's downtown square, the building was constructed in 1898.
Before the sale, the district estimated the cost of renovating the building for use as a STEAM school at around $5 million. During the sales process, however, district engineers found issues with the building's windows and HVAC system that would require work. A few months after the purchase, the board decided to take a fix-it-all approach, Cummins said, and estimated the project cost around $10 million.
The most recent estimate comes in more than $1 million off that target, and far below the cost of an entirely new building, Cummins said.
"We're excited to expand our elementary footprint at a more economical cost," he said.
Different type of elementary
The Haas building is being converted into a school that emphasizes science, technology, engineering, arts and math — commonly referred to as STEAM in the education field — through project-based learning classes. It is projected to open for the fall 2024 semester.
The idea is to teach traditional state curriculum standards and lessons in the framework of projects. The building's more than 25,000 square feet are being built with that in mind. The district has partnered with the Scott Family Amazeum in Bentonville, Arkansas, to develop the concept.
According to architectural plans submitted to board members, the building will offer 10 classrooms, a library, art room, music room, makerspace area and commons, as well as smaller labs for English language classes, speech and more. Cummins said the rooms will also be equipped for observation that can be used by parents and other educators.
Satotha Burr, a longtime principal at Carver Elementary, has been chosen to be the lead for the new school. Teachers will be selected by the end of October, Cummins said.
The district anticipates the new school to serve around 225 students, Cummins said. The process of selecting students for the school will begin in November.
Admission to the school will not be made according to the district's traditional sending zones. Instead, admission will be based entirely on interest from students and parents, and availability of positions based on the student's current elementary school. Schools with larger populations would send more students, Cummins said.
The intent is to keep the new school's demographics matching the other elementary schools, he said. That means admission to the new school will not be based on academic testing or performance.
"Because part of our goal is to relieve pressure on the bigger elementaries, they will have more slots available," Cummins said. "Our ultimate goal is to make sure that we have a school demographic that matches the demographics of the district."
Transportation will be made available to students, Cummins said.
