The new Toledo High School is seen from above in these photographs taken Monday morning.
The new Toledo High School is seen from above in these photographs taken Monday morning.
The Toledo School District has been working on the construction of its new high school since February 2020, and despite some delay because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the building is scheduled to be completed by the end of August.
“We are on schedule and on budget,” Toledo School District Superintendent Chris Rust said.
With the completion of the new classrooms in the high school, the district was able to bring all high schoolers back to full-time in-person school by utilizing the old and new classrooms — allowing enough space for social distancing.
Rust said that one important improvement in the new high school is the new ventilation system, which is even more important during the pandemic to keep the air in the building circulating.
“The thing that everybody notices in the new spaces is how much brighter they are and they actually notice the ventilation. It’s not as stuffy,” Rust said.
The first athletic event was hosted in the new gymnasium as drywall and painting continue in the administrative hallway.
“The gym is largely finished. This summer, we are going to refinish the floor and have new graphics put in,” Rust said.
The library in the high school has been converted into a cafeteria space for students to eat lunch. When students come back from spring break in March, they will return to a completed cafeteria and kitchen.
“Right after spring break, we are also going to be able to get into our new commons and office space,” Rust said.
The last projects on the list include landscaping and demolishing the old classrooms when the project is complete in August.
In November 2018, Toledo passed a school bond of $0.76 per $1,000 of assessed property value with 73 percent of the vote. With the passing of the bond, the school will collect $7 million from the community and $18 million in state funds, $10 million from the state’s distressed school fund and $8 million in state School Construction Assistance Program (SCAP), to pay for the construction of the new high school. With the bond funds and state money, the Toledo School District has a budget of $25 million for the construction of the high school building.
