The students and staff of J.E. Harrison Education Center constantly inspire us with a spirit of learning, growth, and engagement. We are grateful that we can outfit the school building to be an up-to-date, innovative space that will enable our middle-grade students and staff to learn in fresh ways. Unfortunately, we must share disappointing news about the construction work at HEC. There are delays in the project that will prevent all three grade levels from returning there for the 2024–2025 school year. There are two primary reasons for this delay. First, workforce shortages in skilled labor have made progress slower than expected. Organizations all around our region are grappling with this issue and we are one of a host of institutions negatively impacted by delays.

Second, the ductwork in J.E. Harrison Education Center is antiquated, with duct board construction that has deteriorated overtime. Duct board separates at the joints, so much of the air produced seeps out and does not get to the inhabited spaces. The school board discussed options to remediate this issue and felt that it was the most cost effective and least disruptive to address this problem while the ceilings are down and the ductwork is accessible. Replacing the ductwork adds additional time to the project.

District leadership has made the difficult decision to begin the school year with middle grades split across buildings. Next year, sixth and seventh grade will be housed at J.E. Harrison, occupying remodeled areas of the building. Eighth-grade will continue at the high school for the 2024–2025 school year. More information is available in a video from Dr. Lutz here.