SOUTH BEND — Now that the city has bought the vacant Gates site downtown for a Veterans Affairs health clinic, South Bend schools is looking for another building to potentially house its New Tech high school.
Most recently, the school board was considering both the Gates site and the old Studebaker School, which currently houses Riley Early College High School, for a future New Tech location.
In December, the school board hired CSO Architects from Indianapolis to study the feasibility of transforming the old Studebaker School into a New Tech High School. As part of the $9,000 contract with the firm, the architects also were going to assess the old Gates building for the same purpose.
On Monday, Roger Parent, school board president, said CSO has concentrated most of its efforts so far on the Studebaker building and would not charge for any minimal work it’s already done at the Gates site.
Going forward, Parent said, he’d like to find another potential location for New Tech so there ultimately are two to choose from.
CSO, he said, could assess another site as part of the $9,000 fee, which includes its work at Studebaker and will come from donations to New Tech, Parent said.
New Tech opened with about 100 freshmen in the fall in its own renovated wing of Riley High School.
Each year, an additional 100 freshmen will be added until the school serves ninth- through 12th-graders.
School officials have said New Tech will soon outgrow its current space. And, being its own high school, a separate location is desired.
Superintendent Carole Schmidt recently said fundraising is on track for New Tech, though close to $1 million is still needed to fund the school this calendar year and next.
On Monday, Parent said New Tech will likely stay put for the 2012-2013 school year with a move to its own building tentatively planned for the following school year.
The proposal to move New Tech to the old Studebaker School building has been a controversial one. Students and staff members from Riley Early College, which is currently at Studebaker, have shown up at school board meetings and given impassioned pleas urging board members to let them stay put.
In fact, in October, the board postponed a vote to flip-flop Early College and New Tech students’ locations.
Six weeks later, the board voted 4-3 to hire CSO to take a look at Studebaker, along with the Gates building, to determine how feasible each is for use as a New Tech high school.
South Bend schools is separately in the midst of a districtwide facilities study that’s being conducted by Hebard & Hebard architectural firm. The results are to be available this spring.
Staff writer Kim Kilbride:
