Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Construction Delays First Day of Classes at Nebraska Elementary School

  • By Matt Jones
  • 08/30/22

Ada Robinson Elementary School in Lincoln, Neb., had its first day of school on Monday, August 29—two weeks later than planned. The newly built elementary school was originally scheduled to open its doors to students on August 15, but construction delays forced the district to reconsider, according to local news.

On Friday, August 5, just hours after a media tour of the new facility, Superintendent Paul Gausman sent a letter to parents announcing the decision. “Out of an abundance of caution, I do not feel we will be ready to safely open the school building to students on August 15,” he said in the letter. “In order to ensure the safety of all our staff and students, we need to allow the construction team extra time to finish the core areas.”

One wing of the school is still under construction even after the building’s opening, as well as the playground and an open outdoor grassy area, local news reports. These final projects were always intended to continue through the fall, said Lincoln Public Schools.

“We knew when the project started that Robinson always faced a tight and challenging construction timeline amid a global pandemic which caused supply chain challenges and labor shortages,” said Gausman.

The district also announced that, in order to make up the lost time and meet instructional time requirements, the school day will be extended by 17 minutes for the remainder of the school year. Also, it will not offer an early release for the first week of school, unlike all the other schools in the district.

The new facility covers about 85,000 square feet and has capacity for 528 students, according to the district website. About 290 students are projected to attend during the first year. The PreK–5 facility was named after longtime respected district teacher Ada Robinson, who surprised students and staff on the first day of school to welcome them to their new home.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • AAADM Announces Building Safety Month Initiatives

    The American Association of Automatic Door Manufacturers (AAADM) recently announced its support of Building Safety Month as declared by the International Code Council (ICC), according to a news release.

  • Niles West High School Natatorium Renovation

    Natatoriums are highly specialized spaces, and luminaires in this setting face several unique challenges. Perhaps the most significant is corrosion, which is exacerbated by high indoor humidity, condensation, and pool chemicals, often resulting in material degradation in luminaires not certified to perform in corrosive environments.

  • Armstrong World Industries Acquires Parallel Architectural Products

    Armstrong World Industries, provider of interior and exterior architectural applications, recently announced that it has acquired the Colorado-based Parallel Architectural Products, according to a news release.

  • Chartwells Launches Campus Dining Evaluation Framework

    Contract food-service management provider Chartwells Higher Education recently announced the launch of BLUEPRINT, according to a news release. The evaluation framework was designed to provide a data-driven and customizable roadmap towards optimizing campus dining services and, by extension, the student experience.