Project caps $42 million in recent MCS facility upgrades.
By Andy Klotz, MCS Chief Communications Officer—
MUNCIE, IN – A growing student population and a school already filled to capacity is not a good combination. West View Elementary no longer has to worry about that following an $11.5 million, year-long renovation project that wrapped up earlier this month.
Officials from West View, Muncie Community Schools (MCS) and Core Construction, which oversaw the renovation, officially cut the ribbon on the facility upgrades during a ceremony at the school.
“It’s wonderful to have to have this additional space, and something our students, teachers and staff deserve as our enrollment continues to grow,” West View Principal Eric Ambler said. “Our staff was so excited about it that many of them spent time over winter break moving into their new classrooms. They couldn’t wait!”
The building, which originally opened in 1953, had nearly 16,000 square feet of space added to its footprint, highlighted by:
- 9 new classrooms
- A new administrative office
- A new teacher’s lounge and work room
- A new Nurse’s office/health clinic
- A new conference room
- Upgrades to the electrical and fire suppression systems
The renovation was made possible by the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds MCS received from the federal government following the COVID-19 pandemic. West View is the latest completed major capital improvement project for the district after converting both South View Elementary ($10.1M) and East Washington Academy ($8.4M) from “open concept” schools to focused learning environments.
Muncie Central High School’s football and soccer stadium is currently in the middle of an $11.9 million reconstruction. That project was funded through the sale of bonds and is expected to be completed by the start of the 2024-25 school year.
“We are so thankful we’ve been able to improve our schools without an additional burden to local taxpayers,” MCS CEO and Director of Public Education Dr. Lee Ann Kwiatkowski said. “We take a lot of pride in being good stewards of our resources, and we know these investments are resulting in a better experience for our staff, students and families.”
The last time West View saw a major facility renovation was 2007 when the gymnasium and media center were added. The school houses students from pre-kindergarten through 5th grade, and its highly regarded Spanish Dual Language Immersion Program draws families from all over the area.
“We made the building work for as long as we could, but there’s no question it was time to add on,” Ambler said. “Our students no longer have to go outside the building into portable classrooms, and our teachers now have a work room, break room and other accommodations that they’ve gone without for a long time.”
“This was a unique project in that we added the south classrooms while school was still in session, using a temporary partition for safety and noise reduction,” CORE Construction Project Manager Cole Brunton said. “We know these improvements will foster learning excellence for years to come, and we’re proud to be part of that.”
West View currently has approximately 530 students enrolled.
About Muncie Community Schools
Serving the local community since 1855, Muncie Community Schools (MCS) educates more than 5,000 students at six elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school while also managing several other educational facilities. Through its unique partnership with Ball State University, MCS strives to maximize each student’s potential so he or she can be a positive, productive member of society. Find out more about MCS or Director of Public Education and CEO Lee Ann Kwiatkowski at muncieschools.org.
