The replacement of one of Anchorage’s oldest schools is underway

Anchorage School Board members and Anchorage Assembly members thrust celebratory shovels into nan building tract for Inlet View Elementary’s caller building connected Monday, June 10, 2024. (Matt Faubion/Alaska Public Media)

Anchorage School District officials and section elected leaders collapsed crushed astatine Inlet View Elementary School connected Monday earlier a crowd of dozens of teachers, students and neighbors.

A caller schoolhouse will beryllium built complete nan adjacent twelvemonth and a half alongside nan existing building successful South Addition. Supporters of nan project, including Inlet View genitor and coach Beth Daly-Gamble, opportunity nan upgrade is vital. The existent school, built successful 1957, is overcrowded and old.

“The rooms are small, we person tiles coming up from nan level each nan time,” Daly-Gamble said. ”We telephone building attraction astir apt each azygous time from things that are falling isolated and our sewage backed up 2 years agone into nan playground area, and sat for illustration that for a while.”

The schoolhouse besides does not person a sprinkler strategy aliases a abstracted cafeteria. Students eating luncheon stock a room pinch different students taking gym class.

The caller schoolhouse will person much space.

Students tossed up gravel successful ceremony of Inlet View Elementary’s groundbreaking ceremony. (Matt Faubion/Alaska Public Media)

As nan only simple schoolhouse pinch an International Baccalaureate programme successful nan state, Inlet View draws students from crossed nan metropolis to attend. The schoolhouse enrolled astir 215 students 2 years agone — 45 students over capacity. The caller building will person room for astir 300 students.

Rebuilding Inlet View has been talked astir for years. The astir $50 cardinal task sewage nan last backing needed successful April erstwhile voters passed a schoolhouse bond pinch astir $19 cardinal for Inlet View. A similar bond grounded two years earlier. Those opposed based on that repairing nan existing building would beryllium cheaper. But territory unit opportunity it’s less costly successful nan long-term to build a caller school. Over 500 requests for repairs were submitted successful 2018. Outbuildings that were primitively meant to beryllium impermanent person served arsenic classrooms astatine nan schoolhouse for 15 years.

State and territory money will besides thief money construction.

Anchorage Democratic Rep. Zack Fields commented connected nan hurdles nan task has faced erstwhile speaking to nan crowd gathered connected nan Inlet View playground Monday morning.

“This task faced each benignant of adversity imaginable, and it was nan passion and tenacity of parents and teachers that overcame each azygous 1 of those obstacles,” Fields said. “I cognize location are immoderate of you who person been moving to spot this infinitesimal for 25 years. Thank you for being that committed to this community.”

Daly-Gamble started nan International Baccalaureate programme astatine Inlet View 15 years ago. She said nan caller building is needed, and sewage affectional watching territory leaders flip shovels of ceremonial gravel astatine nan groundbreaking.

“Our community’s very, very beardown present and nan families judge successful our students, judge successful our teachers, judge successful our school,” Daly-Gamble said. “It’s conscionable going to bring america moreover closer, and it’s going to thief america grow.”

Project Manager Charlie Peters said students are expected to commencement attending schoolhouse successful nan new, bigger Inlet View starting successful 2026, and past nan aged building will beryllium demolished that fall. Before then, crews will build a viewing platform, and students will study astir nan schoolhouse building arsenic portion of their IB curriculum.

Project head Charlie Peters gives a circuit of nan building site. (Matt Faubion/Alaska Public Media)