“Good things come to those who wait.” This common phrase certainly describes the long road of waiting for the Escalante Elementary School. Coupled with hard work, determination, patient understanding and negotiations between citizens, teachers, school board members and superintendents, the wait was so worth it.
More than ten years ago, the school district started a county building project which included building three new elementary schools in Panguitch, Tropic and Escalante. School board members Myron Cottam, Cheryl Cox, Mike Savage, Frank Houston and Ken Platt spearheaded the project. The district proposed a public vote that narrowly passed allowing the district to continue to levy taxes to fund the projects.
Bryce Valley, due to its weak structure and the danger it imposed in the event of an earthquake, was slated to be replaced first. Original cost for each school was estimated at $5-6 million. The bid for Bryce Valley was $9 million and the actual cost was $11 million.
Enrollment was low in Escalante and the original blueprints resembled the size of Boulder’s elementary school with only four classrooms and no gym.
Panguitch was built next. Two down, one to go. Then came a new superintendent, new school board members, new personalities, new skills, new perspectives. John Dodds, the next superintendent, took over the construction projects, moving it forward.
After that, the COVID pandemic hit. In the meantime, inflation was eating up the levied taxes, building costs skyrocketed with the pandemic, and the supply chain was interrupted.
Two years after the end of the pandemic, prices remained high. The school board was in a tough spot. If they honored the previous vote, it wasn’t fiscally feasible to build an exorbitantly expensive elementary. In the meantime, principal Peter Baksis saw his teachers place air filtering appliances to combat mold in the ceiling from a leaking roof, situate buckets under dripping insulation where ceiling panels had fallen out, and turn on faucets expecting clean water, but getting something else. Their technology wasn’t always reliable, yet teachers were resourceful, making the best of the situation and continuing to educate students who deserved a better environment.
Bruce Williams, finance manager, had ideas of how to manage the funds. Board members visited the school and saw for themselves the condition of the deteriorating classrooms. They knew what needed to be done.
Despite an earlier tentative vote of 4-1 in favor of building the elementary school, when the final vote was taken, all five board members, Myron Cottam, Cheryl Cox, April LeFevre, Curtis Barney, and Ralph Perkins all voted in favor of getting the school built. Cheryl and Myron, who had been in on the original vote, were emotional about the success and support of fellow board members.
Hughes General Contractors was contracted to build the school, but the floor plan needed revising. Even though it had developed past the “four classrooms and no gym” design, there still was not room for each grade to have their own classroom. Creative problem solving eliminated the stage, which would be used a few times a year, to make space for two additional classrooms that are used daily. Productions can be staged at the adjacent high school.
When the school was completed, it cost $14 million, the smallest yet most expensive school in the district, according to Myron Cottam, board member. It reminds one of the saying, “Quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten.” Yes, it was expensive but look what our tax dollars reaped. Superintendent John Dodds said, “Building this school is a vote of confidence in the future of Escalante and its students.”
Now the teachers can focus on lesson plans and curriculum rather than how safe or healthy their classroom is. Their new building technology works, every time. They can turn on a faucet and get clean water. The smiles on their faces indicate that they know they are appreciated and supported by their school board and superintendent. That translates into happy employees who pass that along in their school day. Students feel the energy and bask in the newness of a clean building where their imaginations can soar.
Thanks to Hughes General Contractors, the building was completed under budget and 8 months ahead of schedule. Teachers moved in their things over the Christmas break and students paraded from the old school to their new school on January 3, just as their grandparents had paraded from their old school on Center Street in 1956 to the school now being vacated.
With a ribbon cutting ceremony and program on February 21, the public was invited to view the new school for themselves. Each teacher has customized their space, enthusiastic about having larger classrooms and a safe environment to teach in.
Over the past decade, with much anticipation, this new school has been transformed from a dream to a reality. Indeed, good things come to those who wait, and plan, and work very hard.
– by Karen Munson
Feature image caption: Principal Peter Baksis stands by the old school bell from two schoolhouses ago, which has now been installed at the new elementary. Courtesy Melisa Chynoweth.
Karen M. Munson – Escalante
Karen is an associate editor at The Byway. She is fascinated and fulfilled by all things involved with writing. After graduating from BYU, she taught English at Escalante High School for three years. She pursues opportunities to write and support others in their writing. Karen has published three books with four more scheduled to be released in 2024. She and Reed are the parents of ten children and the grandparents of 35 grandchildren.
Karen is the author of two columns in The Byway, A New Twist on Mental Health and Lyle’s Corner.