Education

Adding It Up: Three School Projects

March 31, 2004 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Former Belmont Learning Center, Los Angeles, Calif.

Enrollment (projected): 2,600
Construction starting date: 1997 (Work on the project has been on hold since 1999.)
Scheduled opening: September 2007
Projected cost: $60 million
Final cost (revised projections): $265 million

Referred to once by a state lawmaker as a “15-year disaster,” the planned Belmont Learning Center promised to be a much-needed neighborhood school west of downtown Los Angeles. The project was stopped, however, because of potential environmental hazards from an abandoned oil field on the 35-acre site. An effort to restart construction was halted in December 2002 after an earthquake fault line was discovered under two of the campus’s buildings. The latest plan is to demolish the two buildings over the fault and to build a high school and a park on the site.

SOURCE: Education Week reporting and the Los Angeles Unified School District

Miami Northwestern High School, Miami, Fla.

Enrollment: 3,000
Scheduled opening: 1993
Actual opening: August 1997
Projected cost: $28 million
Final cost: $75 million

Miami Northwestern High School became a symbol of the Miami-Dade County district’s troubled school construction program. It was completed four years behind schedule and, because of extensive site-preparation costs and additions to the original plans, it was nearly $47 million over budget. Miami Northwestern was the most expensive high school built in Florida in the 1990s, and the district was still making repairs after it opened. A state audit found that the district school board had hired low-bidding companies that were unable to handle the scope of the job.

SOURCE: Auditor General, State of Florida

Noble High School, North Berwick, Maine

Enrollment: 1,500
Scheduled opening: August 2001
Actual opening: August 2001
Projected cost: $33.6 million
Final cost: $33.6 million

This 270,000-square-foot school has won numerous awards for its design and is seen as a model for today’s schools. Noble High serves as the centerpiece of three rural towns in Maine from which it draws students. Although it houses 1,500 students, architects created 15 schools-within-a-school to give the students and teachers the feeling of a much smaller facility. The high school also houses a child-care center, a restaurant, a performing arts center, and a health-care clinic—each of which is open to the community during and after school hours. The cost for construction came in nearly $1 million under budget, at $25.8 million.

SOURCE: Harriman Associates, Architects & Engineers, Auburn, Maine

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in Schools
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by Panorama Education
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Science Webinar
Spark Minds, Reignite Students & Teachers: STEM’s Role in Supporting Presence and Engagement
Is your district struggling with chronic absenteeism? Discover how STEM can reignite students' and teachers' passion for learning.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way
Recruitment & Retention Webinar EdRecruiter 2025 Survey Results: The Outlook for Recruitment and Retention
See exclusive findings from EdWeek’s nationwide survey of K-12 job seekers and district HR professionals on recruitment, retention, and job satisfaction. 

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Quiz Education Week News Quiz: Dec. 5, 2024
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
President Donald Trump listens during a "National Dialogue on Safely Reopening America's Schools," event in the East Room of the White House, on July 7, 2020, in Washington.
President Donald Trump listens during a "National Dialogue on Safely Reopening America's Schools," event in the East Room of the White House, on July 7, 2020, in Washington.
Alex Brandon/AP
Education Quiz Education Week News Quiz: Nov. 26, 2024
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Small Business Administration administrator Linda McMahon attends a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on Aug. 16, 2018, in Washington.
Small Business Administration administrator Linda McMahon attends a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on Aug. 16, 2018, in Washington.
Andrew Harnik/AP
Education Briefly Stated: October 23, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: October 2, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read