Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Minnesota District to Open New Special Education Facility

  • By Matt Jones
  • 07/25/22

The Zumbro Education District in Byron, Minn., recently completed construction on a new special education facility for the district. According to a news release, the $16.47-million, 61,031-square-foot space will serve as a combined learning center for three separate program types for at-risk K–12 students. These programs include the Area Learning Center, the ZeD Special Education Setting IV Program, and Transition 2 Success for students’ post-high-school needs.

The district partnered with construction management firm Kraus-Anderson and design firm Wendel Architects. The space will include amenities for staff housing; a two-station gym; a playground and prep kitchen; and advanced learning environments featuring labs for art, science and FACS.

Zumbro Education District Special Education Center
Image courtesy of Shore to Shore Communications, Inc.

A 2021 local news article announcing the project also reports that the new space will be the Zumbro Education District’s first home of its own. ZED works students from a wide variety of nearby school districts and offers services that the districts themselves may not be equipped for. The district works with students who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have visual impairments, as well as offers services like occupational therapy, behavioral management and special education.

“This has been a labor of love for many people for two and a half years,” said ZED Executive Director Patrick Gordon in 2021. “We’re going to have state-of-the-art learning environments for the students who probably have the most challenges … this is just a win for our students who have the highest needs.”

The news release also reports that construction firm Kraus-Anderson is participating in dozens of major K–12 construction projects as part of a “Summer Sprint,” which aims to complete as much construction and maintenance as possible while students are on summer break.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • University of Rochester to Break Ground on New Student Life Center

    The University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y., recently began construction on a new Student Life building, according to a news release. The first floor will contain campus-wide gathering, program, and rehearsal space; the second floor will play home to the Greenbaum Center for Jewish Life.

  • Montclair State University Starts Construction on $120M STEM Building

    Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J., recently broke ground on a new $120-million Interdisciplinary Science Building, according to university news. The university partnered with HoK Architects for the project’s design, and it’s scheduled to open in time for the 2028–29 academic year.

  • Missouri Child Development Center Completes $2.3M Expansion

    The Urban Sprouts Child Development Center in St. Louis, Mo., recently announced the completion of a $2.3-million expansion and adaptive reuse project, according to a news release. The new space includes a retail café, outdoor learning space, and a support office building.

  • Georgia State University Opens New Research Tower

    Georgia State University in Atlanta, Ga., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new, nine-story, 155,000-square-foot Research Tower, according to university news. Amenities include academic classrooms, a large lecture space, teaching labs, faculty research space, and the uppermost floors reserved for future expansion.