Students of the new Ashmont School will have a slightly longer summer break than their counterparts in other St. Paul Education Regional Division schools. Delays in the construction of the new school initially bumped the start date of the first day of the 2018-19 school year by two days, to Sept. 6, but on Sept. 5, that date was bumped once again to Sept. 10.
The majority of students in the area started classes on Sept. 4.
"Regrettably, despite work continuing, the first day of classes for students attending Ashmont School has been further postponed to Monday, Sept. 10," said SPERD superintendent Glen Brodziak, via email with the Journal on Sept. 5.
"Classrooms and teachers are ready, however, access to the school and the playground will require two additional days of work. We apologize for the inconvenience and we trust this will be the final delay," said Brodziak.
Late last week, the superintendent said the initial delay was to ensure the school would be fully complete before opening its door to students.
"It's to tie up a multitude of loose ends. Whether that be with construction, or some furniture set up, or some parking type issues. We think we could have it done in a couple days," said Brodziak, when the date was initially bumped to Sept. 6.
Staff worked to notify parents late last week of the initial delay, and they were once again notifying parents on Wednesday due to the further delay.
Despite the setback, the division is thrilled with how the new school looks.
"We're absolutely pleased with the facility, and we're very excited about the opening," said Brodziak.
The demolition of the old school, which sits adjacent to the new building, was supposed to take place this summer, but delays have also pushed that date back. Brodziak said the expected date for the demolition is now late September or early October.
SPERD would also like parents to know that Ashmont School has a new phone number, which is (780) 726-3777.
