RSU 14’s Board of Directors voted June 22 to build a new middle school in Windham rather than renovate the existing building.

The board unanimously voted in favor of a recommendation from the four-person Facilities Committee, which advised the board at a June 15 meeting that a new school would be more energy efficient, less costly to maintain and more conducive to 21st-century learning styles.

The preliminary plan is to construct the new middle school for about $42.5 million on Fields 10 and 4, adjacent to the Windham Public Library.

Facilities Committee Chairwoman Kate Brix said after the vote at the June 22 meeting that she was “excited we have something to bring forth to the public. We’ve been talking about the proposal and studying it for many years, and the need is critical.”

The vote, she said, “is a giant leap, and we’re happy to be moving forward.”

At this point, the middle school is more of “a direction” than a plan, said Brix, as the board is not locked into any one specific design or cost. At this early stage of the process, it’s estimated that a referendum on the new school would be held next year, construction could begin in 2018 and the school would be ready for fall occupancy in 2020.

The new school would replace Windham’s 39-year-old middle school, which has a number of safety and security issues, according to Bill Hansen, facilities director. The problems include heating and ventilation issues, a lack of a sprinkler system, and facilities that do not comply with the American Disabilities Act.

The district’s 1947-built Field Allen school, which also houses middle schoolers, has many of the same problems as the middle school building, but also compromises student safety and restricts scheduling options because the sixth-graders who study there must walk outside to use the middle school’s gymnasium and cafeteria.

The preliminary estimated cost for constructing the new middle school and expanding fields 5 and 6, adjacent to the Stadium Field, is roughly $42.5 million. That price tag is about $4.76 million more than the costs of renovating Windham Middle School and constructing a new classroom wing.

The committee provided the board with information from Lydon Keck of Portland-based PDT Architects, who said a new school would allow shifts in learning to more “21st-century” learning practices. These practices include personalized and project-based learning, small learning communities and pervasive technology, and rely on access to different functional spaces.

Whereas more traditional schools tend towards classrooms that are all the same size, according to Keck, 21st-century schools have rooms of ranging sizes and functions, including classrooms, conference rooms, student work areas and common spaces. These rooms promote small group and individual work.

Following the construction of a new middle school, the old middle school’s core,   including gymnasium and cafeteria, would continue to be maintained at an estimated cost of $191,000, and the next-door Field Allen building would continue to be maintained for roughly $80,000. Possible uses for those buildings, according to the facilities committee, include a pre-kindergarten program, a designated adult education building, and community use.

The existing Windham Middle School classroom wing would be demolished. Fields 5 and 6, adjacent to the Stadium Field, would be expanded to make up for lost field space.

The next steps in the plan, according to the facilities committee, include organizing a parent group during the summer and holding a public hearing in October.

A major renovation to Jordan Small Middle School in Raymond will not be included in the Windham Middle School proposal. Instead, the facilities committee recommended the renovation work for Raymond’s middle school be scheduled by priority and completed over time.

Besides Brix, other Facilities Committee members are Marge Govoni, Jeri Keane-Dreyer and Jennifer Moore.

During the meeting, the board also appointed Jani Cummings to the Board of Directors. Cummings is replacing Keane-Dreyer, whose term ended and she decided not to run again after seven years on the Raymond School Board and seven on the Regional School Unit 14 Board, she said.

Council Chairwoman Marge Govoni announced that board member Jennifer Moore, of Raymond, has resigned from the board. The board has not decided whether to appoint a new member or wait until next year’s municipal elections.

From left, Kate Brix, Marge Govoni, Diana Froisland, Jennifer Fleck and Eric Colby, members of the Regional School Unit 14 Board of Directors, voted in favor of a new Windham Middle School at Wednesday’s meeting. Brix, chair of the Facilities Committee, said after years of work she was “happy to be moving forward” with the plans.