A Mid-year Report Card for the Facilities Plan

As we move through the second half of summer 2026, it’s an apt time to evaluate the progress of the Shaker Schools Long-Term Facilities Master Plan (LTMFP). We’re further from the half-way mark than the District had planned. Nonetheless, they’re three years into the work, with at least another four to go, so it’s appropriate to evaluate the progress thus far.

Woodbury

The Middle Years building is the largest of the projects, with 37% of the overall LTFMP budget allocated to its construction. It’s now been over two years since demolition started in May 2024. This project “exceeds expectations”, but not in a good way. The originally planned July 2027 completion date had slipped five months this spring, by this summer it is delayed six more and now planned to open to students in August 2028, a full year later than intended. One reason? It was reported at the June 24^th board meeting (starting at 01:13:50) that major electrical and mechanical equipment could not be ordered in time because designs for these critical elements were not finished when needed.

How about the costs? On September 30, 2025 the Board of Education approved a $69.8 million budget. As of June, that cost has ballooned to $76.1 million in approved contracts (GMP 1 thru 5), an overrun of $6,522,663. For those that prefer their grades in percentages, the District has incurred “extra credit” to the tune of 109.35% of last fall’s budgeted amount. One item of interest: $120,000 of overage was needed to change a solid guardrails at the pool bleachers to glass -- apparently the design failed to provide sightlines to all of the pool’s eight lanes. Significant concerns about visibility from the bleachers remain – we’ll share more detail in a future post.

Ludlow

Let’s revisit the Pre-K that opened to young learners last fall. Unfortunately, its report card still reads “Incomplete”. While it was supposed to be fully finished last July, much work still remains. This summer, we understand crews have been remediating the mold that formed in the new entrance vestibule and the District recently reported they'll start soon to repair wood floors that failed. However, many items remain to be completed inside and out. Holes in the brick wall inside the entry remain covered by large sheets of cardboard, masonry repairs and other exterior items remain unfinished, and the sidewalks and driveways of residential homes across the street that were damaged by careless construction crews remain broken and crumbling.

A large sheet of cardboard remains screwed into the full height of the wall in Ludlow Pre-K's newly constructed vestibule , covering up unknown damage that has yet to be repaired since the building opened in September 2025.

Other District Facilities

As to the other school facilities, there’s not a great deal of information that's been provided. We asked the District for an update, they declined to provide information. Lomond foundation repairs appear to be well underway, though it is uncertain if they’ll be complete for the start of classes next month. Failing windows at the high school auditorium are unrepaired, creating an easy avenue for wind-driven rain to soak the walls and feed a potential mold outbreak. As to future elementary school renovations, things are quiet – no designs have been publicly presented, and every project is behind schedule by at least one year due the Woodbury delays.

One of several broken windows at the High School auditorium, damaged since spring. The hole in the middle provides an easy avenue for rain to enter the building and soak concealed areas of the auditorium wall. This may be creating conditions ripe for mold growth, especially in the heat of the summer.

Why issue mid-term report cards?

Only the final grades count, right? Nonetheless, interim assessments provide an opportunity not only for parents and students to get early warnings of achievement problems, but also help school staff evaluate if their approach is working effectively. In the case of these facilities, warning lights are blinking red for achievement and effective supervision. Schedules keep slipping, design errors continue to be revealed, costs keep rising, and community communications have dwindled. Yet we have a long way to go. Build Shaker Better has written before about the value that more organized and experienced project management capacity could deliver for the District and Community. There’s four years remaining and over $100 million yet to spend – it’s not too late to intervene with better support to create the results our students deserve.