STATE COLLEGE — State College Area School Board members approved seeking bids to build the new Park Forest Middle School.
The new 270,000-square-foot building will replace the existing middle school, which was built in 1971. The new school will be constructed across the street from the current building, between Circleville Park and Valley Vista Drive in Patton Township.
Construction is expected to begin in May and the building is scheduled to open in January 2029, according to the latest timeline.
“I’m excited that we’ve reached this point,” said board member Deborah Anderson. “This has been a long time coming, and I’m sure the community is excited, too.”
An Act 34 public hearing on the project is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, March 23 at the Panorama Village Administration Building. The hearing provides another chance for the public to review details of the project and provide feedback.
“While we have had many public discussions about this project over the last few years, we felt it was important to provide another opportunity for public comment,” said Randy Brown, finance and operations officer.
The board reviewed details in the Act 34 booklet at their meeting Monday.
Also Monday, the board received an update on the K-8 Math Scope and Sequence, which outlines courses and the order in which they will be taught.
The work was part of a year-long review of the district’s mathematics curriculum in collaboration with K-12 math teachers. The board previously approved the high school Math Curriculum Scope and Sequence in January.
As part of the review, administrators proposed updating instructional resources and providing professional development training.
In other business, the board:
Heard an equity update report on historical math data and recent findings from the district’s partnership with researchers at Penn State’s Center for Education and Civil Rights.
