Both O’Brien STEM Academy and Swope Middle School could look pretty different in 2022. On Thursday the Washoe County School District's Capital Funding Protection Committee approved plans to expand Swope Middle School and build a new O’Brien middle school. The Board of Trustees is expected to hear those proposals on Tuesday.

Plans for the Swope Middle School expansion are expected to cost $40 to $50 million. Building costs on the new O’Brien Middle School are expected to top out at around $75 million. The Washoe County School District is opening the door to change for Swope Middle School and O’Brien STEM Academy.

“One of the biggest problems with O’Brien is that it has significantly smaller classroom size than our current middle school standards and one of the driving reasons that led us to this rebuild option versus Swope Middle School,” said Washoe County School District Chief Facilities Officer Adam Searcy. The Washoe County School District is hoping to add capacity for around 300 students to O”Brien and Swope. “We're trying to get 6th,7th, and 8th grade in each of our middle schools,” said Searcy.

The plan is to expand Swope Middle School and rebuild O’Brien Middle School. “Not only do we need more classrooms, but we have an undersized gymnasium, undersized cafeteria, and a couple other spaces,” said Searcy.

Swope Middle School will be expanded up to 2 floors in places, while the new O’Brien Middle School will be 3 floors. O’Brien’s old facility will be eventually demolished and turned into sports fields. “When the old school is demolished we will replace in with outdoor playgrounds, ball fields, flat fields and other recreational facilities. The new school will be moved to the rear of the existing campus which is the east. It also has an added benefit of moving the pickup and drop off area away from Stead Boulevard,” said Searcy.

Both schools will receive other upgrades as well. “We're going to be adding new furniture and new technology to upgrade the entire school,” said Searcy.

The Washoe County School District is also looking into pedestrian safety for the schools. “We plan on traffic improvements and traffic calming, whether it’s crosswalks, flashers, or stop signs,” said Searcy.

Construction to expand Swope Middle School will happen during the school year. “There are a number of safeguards we will have for the students. That could mean working during off hours to avoid disturbing the classroom areas or taking preventative measures to mitigate noise, sound, and dust,” said Searcy.

The hope is to have both locations finished by 2022 and the old O’Brien location demolished by 2023.