Central Valley School District started work in late April on a project to convert a former Yoke’s Fresh Market building into new quarters for Barker High School and the Central Valley Early Learning Center. 

T.W. Clark Construction LLC, of Spokane Valley, is the contractor on the $8.6 million remodel, which is slated to be completed by January 2016. Spokane-based NAC|Architecture Inc. is the architect for the project. 

The school district bought the former grocery store property, located at the northeast corner of Sprague Avenue and Progress Road, in March 2014 for $2.3 million.  The remodeling project will split evenly the square footage in the building between the two schools. The property encompasses nearly 6 acres, and the building has more than 63,000 square feet of floor space, the district says. The building has been through three major remodels in the past 15 years. 

Barker High School, which is an alternative high school, is located at 13313 E. Broadway in a building with about 35,000 square feet of space. Barker High School is a fully accredited, full-day, five-day-a-week program with significantly smaller class sizes, ranging from 15 to 25 students in grades 9 to 12. 

The Central Valley Early Learning Center currently is located in part of the old University High School, located at 10304 E. Ninth in Spokane Valley.  

Barker High School will have a new name when it opens at the beginning of the 2016 school year. The name will be chosen closer to the opening. Barker High School will be able to accommodate 220 students at the new address once the project is complete and the ELC will have up to 350 children, Nunberg says. 

The Early Learning Center currently serves about 340 preschool and special-needs student. It also provides child care for children between 6 months and 6 years of age. 

The renovation project includes a complete remodel of the former Yoke’s store, which involves gutting the entire space, updating mechanical systems, installing new walls for classrooms, and the creation of a new gymnasium in the center of the building. 

The project is being funded with some of the proceeds from the $121 million bond issue passed by voters earlier this year and no state match on this project, she adds. 

Central Valley School District currnetly serves more than 13,000 students. 

The district has grown by about 1,700 students since 2004 and is projected to grow by another 900 students in the next five years, says Nunberg.