Markham Colocation Update, May 14
Dear Markham staff and families,
We wanted to begin by thanking everyone who participated in last month’s community meeting. If you weren’t able to attend, you can watch a recording of the meeting below.
The primary purpose of the meeting was to discuss what a Markham/Jackson colocation will look like while remediation and reconstruction work is completed at the Markham school building.
As was communicated in the meeting, Dr. Brown-Warrens is working with district leadership and Jackson principal John Ferraro to craft a plan that will allow Markham staff and students to occupy Jackson’s east wing for the duration of the colocation. That wing typically houses Jackson’s eighth grade classrooms. When the new school year begins this fall, those eighth-grade students and their teachers will move out to portable classroom units currently being installed on Jackson’s campus.
We do not yet have a firm timeline for when the portable classroom installation will be complete, but workers continue to make meaningful progress toward readying them for occupation. We are very confident that the units will be ready to open to staff and students when the new school year begins in August.
Markham Reconstruction Update
Our contractor recently finished up the final phase of asbestos abatement, allowing plumbers to come in and begin replacing water pipes throughout the building. Simultaneously, crews are adding insulation to those pipes, while the district’s IT team coordinates crucial technology upgrades. ADA upgrades to the building will also be taking place this summer.
In an upcoming message, we will be sharing photos and video chronicling this work so that you can see for yourselves how much progress we’ve made toward restoring the Markham school building and readying it to again serve as an essential hub of your community.
As always, thank you for your patience and understanding. We will reach out again soon with more information.
Sincerely,
Dr. Jon Franco, Chief of Schools
Dan Jung, Director of Operations
