Construction on Another New School in Chesterfield Breaks Ground
Chesterfield County (Va.) Schools broke ground on a new school in the Matoaca District. It’s the seventh such groundbreaking of a new elementary school in the past two years.
“Look over my shoulder and you see the white balloons? There’s the front door Mary, of your brand new school,” said School Board Chair Rob Thompson gesturing to Matoaca Elementary School Principal Mary Thrift. The new school is replacing one that is over 80-years old. It’s being built on the same site as the Matoaca Middle School west Campus. Besides the previous seven elementary schools, four more are on the docket to be built in the coming year. Those include Crestwood, Ettrick, Harrowgate and Reams. By the end of the construction plan, each magisterial district will have at least one new elementary school within its borders.
All the new school construction is part of the 2013 School Bond Referendum. That $304-million bond allowed either renovation or construction of new schools. The school board hopes to draft a new bond referendum for 2020. According to Deputy County Administrator for Finance Matt Harris, early estimates have that bond at $230 million.
The new Matoaca Elementary school is scheduled to house over 700 students and open in Fall of 2020.