Sky Valley Education Center Replacement
Sky Valley Education Center serves just under 1,100 students in grades K-12, many of whom attend part-time. It is the second largest school in the Monroe School District.
The campus, built in 1954, was originally the home of Monroe High School and later became Monroe Middle School. After the 1965 earthquake, most of the school was torn down and rebuilt on the same site, using portions of the original structure. Additions were constructed throughout the 1960s, which included the addition of the main gym in 1967. In 1980, the small gym and lunchroom were added, and an addition to the admin (office) building was added in 1990.
Today, the campus consists of multiple buildings connected by outdoor walkways, some of which are covered. These walkways have deteriorated, with cracked concrete and leaking roofs that create safety hazards in many areas. The open layout of the campus also presents security challenges during the school day. While fencing has been added where possible, the many access points make it difficult to ensure visitors check in through the main office. Inadequate site lighting further contributes to safety concerns, especially at night and during the winter months.
The facility’s aging infrastructure continues to impact daily operations. Single-pane windows and poor insulation reduce energy efficiency, while roofing, gutters, and downspouts are in need of full replacement. Inside, many classrooms lack accessible sinks, and major building systems — including plumbing, HVAC, electrical, building controls, and fire systems — are well past their expected lifespan.
The gym floors and bleachers also need replacement, and the campus requires updates to meet current ADA accessibility standards. The parking lot is inadequate for the number of students and staff it serves.
Because many of the original buildings were constructed in the 1960s using materials now known to be hazardous (such as asbestos, PCBs, and lead), the district must conduct regular environmental testing and mitigation to ensure the site remains safe for use. In the last two years, these efforts, along with related legal costs, have cost the district approximately
$1,329,132. Ongoing maintenance of mitigation efforts, environmental testing, and possible legal fees will continue until the facility can be replaced or relocated.
The cost and scope of the repairs and updates needed are significant and far exceed the practicality of renovation. As a result, a full replacement of the school is necessary to provide a safe and modern learning environment for students and staff, and to ensure the long-term sustainability of district facilities.
Proposed Solution: Modernizing and Expanding Wagner Center
To reduce costs and make the most of existing district resources, the district is proposing a complete modernization and expansion of Wagner Center, located on Main Street, to serve as the new campus for Sky Valley Education Center.
This project would preserve the historic façade of Wagner Center and the Monroe Performing Arts Center, while completely modernizing the interior of Wagner Center. The renovation would include necessary abatement of hazardous materials, new roofing, upgraded building systems, and new energy-efficient windows. A two-story addition would be constructed onto the back of the building to expand the building’s square footage to accommodate Sky Valley’s student body. Plans also include additional parking behind the school and a complete modernization of the existing gym.
This project would allow the entire school to be housed within one secure building, eliminating the need for outdoor walkways and greatly improving campus safety and accessibility.
Originally built in 1938 as Monroe Junior High School, Wagner Center has been mostly vacant in recent years, with limited use by the district’s Community-Based Program for 18–21-year-old students, the Sky Valley Indian Education program and a few community organizations. The gym is also currently used by neighboring Frank Wagner Elementary for physical education classes.
The proposed modernization would preserve the historical integrity of Wagner Center, maximize district-owned resources, and create a modern, safe, and efficient campus for Sky Valley Education Center students and staff.
The historic chimney at the Wagner Center, which serves as a seasonal roosting site for thousands of Vaux’s Swifts during their annual migration, would remain preserved. Construction schedules would be carefully planned and coordinated to minimize any potential impacts on the birds’ roosting behavior.
*Estimated cost of Wagner Center modernization & expansion: $65,084,757
Future of the Current Sky Valley Education Center Site
If voters approve the proposed bond, students and staff from Sky Valley Education Center would relocate to a newly modernized and expanded campus at Wagner Center. Once that transition is complete, most of the current Sky Valley campus would be demolished.
The existing Sky Valley buildings are aging, inefficient, and require significant ongoing maintenance and environmental monitoring. The cost to safely remove most of the outdated structures is included as part of the proposed bond package. This step would help the district reduce long-term maintenance costs, address ongoing environmental concerns, and prepare the site for potential future community or district use.
Plans include keeping the current Sky Valley Education Center gyms due to the limited gym space available in our community. These facilities would be abated of hazardous materials and modernized for continued use by students and community groups. In addition, the SVEC Admin and Tech buildings would also be abated and renovated to house the district’s Facilities and Maintenance Department, which would be displaced from its current location between Wagner Center and Frank Wagner Elementary to make room for the new gym planned at Frank Wagner Elementary (see Frank Wagner project description below).