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educational specifications through additions and renovations. The Whole Building Remodel program has been used by the school district in the past four bond programs as a way to balance achieving educa- tional equity in all district buildings with limited bond funds. An important component of the district’s 2016 bond program was creating safe and secure learning environments and this remodel addressed that challenge.
Tour 2: Harmony Ridge P8 School
Aurora Public Schools comprises an older urban center dating to the late 19th century and an expand- ing suburban eastern edge. When the city of Aurora’s eastern expansion started in the early years of
the 21st century, the district switched from an elementary/middle/high school model to an PK-8/high school model. The district spent a year writing an educational specification for PK-8 schools and anoth- er year designing a prototypical P8 school. Harmony Ridge P-8 opened in 2020 and is the third of the district’s three P-8’s built on the prototype design.
Tour 3: East Middle School Hard Hat Tour
East Middle School was scheduled to receive a whole building remodel in the 2016 bond program but following a schematic design process, the district decided to pursue a BEST grant to replace the school instead of remodel it. The first grant application, a full replacement, was denied but the second applica- tion, a partial replacement was approved in 2020. A large addition is under construction and will be completed in December of this year and demolition of the existing building that it replaces will begin in the spring of 2022. Remodel of the gym building, the auditorium and the fine arts building will com- plete the project by fall of 2022.