Staff at Paw Paw Public Schools and members of the community broke ground on construction and renovations at the high school, Tuesday afternoon, June 7, signaling the beginning of four years of work in the district. In addition to a new early childhood education building, existing facilities will receive upgrades like classroom additions and new modern furniture. Funds for the projects were generated by a $47.5 million bond, which voters passed in May of 2022. Taking part in a groundbreaking ceremony were, from left Paw Paw Board of Education Trustee Nate Mitchell, PP Board of Education President Brent McNitt, Pas Paw Public Schools Superintendent Rick Reo, Paw Paw Board of Education Secretary Ray Martin, and Paw Paw Board of Education Trustee Lindsay Clark. Supt. Reo received a state Special Tribute from Josh Przygocki, District Director, Senate Republican Leader Aric Nesbitt.
Courier-Leader photos/Paul Garrod
PAW PAW-MI) June 7, 2023 – Staff at Paw Paw Public Schools and members of the community broke ground on construction and renovations at the high school, Tuesday afternoon, June 7, signaling the beginning of four years of work in the district. In addition to a new early childhood education building, existing facilities will receive upgrades like classroom additions and new modern furniture.
Funds for the projects were generated by a $47.5 million bond, which voters passed in May of 2022. The bond and its associated projects were designed to improve educational environments, establish healthy and efficient modern facilities, and make security and safety upgrades throughout the district.
“Throughout the course of the bond campaign, the community has been the driving force behind this process,” said Superintendent Rick Reo. “From the beginning, our theme has been to “Build Together” for the future of the entire community. To know that voters in the district share in our vision gives me great hope for the future of our schools and for the future of the Paw Paw community. Now that we’ve officially broken ground on construction, work on the projects will begin immediately.”
Supt. Reo received a state Special Tribute from Josh Przygocki, District Director, Senate Republican Leader Aric Nesbitt. It read in part:
“Since its founding over 150 years ago, the Paw Paw Public School District has played a central role in educating the children of West Michigan. For well over a century, members of the Paw Paw community have learned crucial reading, writing, and arithmetic skills within the walls of Paw Paw Public Schools. These skills not only prepare the next generation for the workforce, but create immense opportunity for innovation, bettering the community at large. To encourage further innovation, curiosity, and ambition, the Paw Paw School District is enlarging their high school and creating an Early Childhood Center. These facilities will lay the foundations children need to better understand, and one day change, the world around them.”
The high school project will see the cafeteria and the gymnasium receive major additions. Currently, both spaces are too small to meet the needs of the staff, students, and community. The benefits this new space will have will be two-fold: one, it will allow for multiple clubs and sports to practice at once, limiting the need for students to practice in alternative spaces or stay late to get practice in. Two, it will allow the school to host more large-scale events, which they may have turned down in the past due to lack of space. Similarly, seating capacity will be increased in the cafeteria. Updates will be made to student flow and staff visibility as well.
The main new addition for the district will be the Early Childhood Education Center, which will house new and existing preschool programming for three- and four-year-old children in the district and surrounding areas. Once completed, students who attend will develop skills that will prepare them for kindergarten and beyond. Complementary childcare will also be offered in addition to the Great Start Readiness and Head Start programs. The building is expected to be completed in the summer of 2025.
Additional projects include two classroom additions at each elementary building, replacing old furniture with modern flexible furniture, security, safety, and energy efficiency upgrades, replacing aging mechanical equipment, new drainage system on high school baseball field, and renovations to soccer stadium restrooms.
The $47.5 million bond program is being managed by Owens-Ames-Kimball Co., and designed by TowerPinkster.