2012: Renewal of Old Quality for 21st Century Learning

Old yet magnificent schools are an asset to the District, area communities, and student population

Nationwide public urban school districts are faced with antiquated school buildings replete with poor air quality, insufficient lighting, and failing cooling and heating systems. Deficient classroom conditions are inimical to learning and dispiriting to students and their teachers while the funds to refurbish them are dwindling. The 2011-12 Report featured the District’s many old yet magnificent schools. Like much of the rest of the country, APS also has some aging schools, but in APS’ M&O we “get it.” We appreciate that in order for APS to meet its commitment to student success, we must do our part at M&O. However, that does not mean disposing of all that is old and replacing it with new. On the contrary. APS has a large collection of quality old schools well worth preserving; 44.7 is the average age the District’s schools. Whether infused with architectural elegance, or solidly constructed to withstand the rigorous use by hundreds of thousands of students over the span of 50 plus years, these old but still vital facilities are an asset to the District, area communities, and most importantly, the student population. They stand straight and sturdy because APS has fortunately been able to stay ahead of the eight ball in maintaining and thus preserving older functioning schools. The preservation of these old gems is credited to the talented M&O crews across all service departments, as exemplified in the 2013 Year End Report.

This page was last updated on: November 1, 2018.