SUFFOLK, Va. — Suffolk Public Schools is moving forward with several major projects across the district, ranging from addressing overcrowded classrooms to full school replacements.
"We know we need to have more space in our schools," Suffolk Public Schools Superintendent Dr. John B. Gordon III said.
Elephants Fork Elementary is included in the district's planning due to space limitations and the use of portable classrooms. Gordon said there are about 650 students at the school.
"Elephants Fork internally can hold about 450, 475 kids, but when you have an enrollment that's over 600 that's because of all the mobile units that are outside," Gordon said.
Looking at the Capital Improvement Plan for FY 2026 to 2035, the replacement of Elephants Fork Elementary is estimated at a little more than $61 million. The goal is to serve all students without mobile units.
"If we have 650 kids currently in the building and we were to have an 800-seat school that allows for one additional classroom and space for each grade level, we want to be able to build in growth for that and that's going to be a huge plan of what we’re trying to do," Gordon said.
Elephants Fork is just one of several schools included in long-term planning across the district.
Meanwhile, the JFK Middle School replacement is nearly complete and is expected to open this summer after construction began in 2023.
"Once the school itself is done, and we move everybody out, then we demolish the current JFK and we demolish the current JFK 'cause we have to make room for the parking lot, and the athletic field," Gordon said.
These projects are part of a long-term effort to replace aging facilities and accommodate growing enrollment across the district.
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