Education reporter Colleen Wixon knows from years of covering education on the Treasure Coast that summers often are the busiest times for school districts to complete large projects such as new administration wings or, as this summer, new schools. She spent time finding out what projects are happening at Treasure Coast schools.
Why was this an important local story to report?
School construction and projects are expensive. Millions of tax dollars are spent just to maintain schools with air conditioning systems, plumbing and electrical systems. Each Treasure Coast school district this summer has major construction projects going on, including the building of new schools and improving school administration wings to make schools more secure for students and teachers.
Explain how you reported this story.
I received reports from each school district to learn what projects were planned this summer, and the costs associated with each project. I focused on major construction projects. Routine projects, such as air conditioning maintenance, electrical upgrades or roof repairs were omitted.
What challenges did you face while reporting this story?
It’s challenging to compile information from different school district in the same format to make it easy for readers to digest. Each district provided the information in a different way, so I had to make sure I used the major construction projects in my reporting and presented them in a reader-friendly fashion.
What surprised you about this story?
I was surprised about all the different projects happening on school campuses this summer. I knew about St. Lucie’s progress on Legacy High School and Martin County’s work at Stuart Middle School, but was unaware of all the other projects.
What’s next with this topic?
I’ll continue following this issue, especially with St. Lucie County schools planning to build a K-8 school in Tradition, which would open in 2026. St. Lucie County continues to experience growth, which requires additional schools. Indian River County also might need to move portable classrooms to certain school campuses as elementary schools expand to the K-8 model. Four elementary schools are expanding to a sixth grade this year, so only minor modifications are planned over the summer.
Colleen Wixon is the education reporter for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers. She covers school districts in Indian River, Martin and St. Lucie counties.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Behind the story: Education reporter builds on school construction this summer
Reporting by Colleen Wixon, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
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