EDWARDSVILLE – During their regular meeting on Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, the Edwardsville Community Unit School District #7 Board of Education heard an update on summer construction.
Superintendent Dr. Allen Duncan outlined the summer’s completed projects and the upcoming projects that will be completed in the coming months.
Duncan explained that phase one of the Central Office construction is complete. The district budgeted between $700,000–750,000 for the project and only spent $509,900.
As part of this project, the district moved offices out of the Mark Twain I and III buildings and into the Central Office located near the high school. Now that they no longer have to pay the Mark Twain I and III leases, the district will save $217,596.12 annually, which will stay in the Operations and Maintenance Fund.
The superintendent’s office, human resources, and student services departments are currently working out of the Central Office. The financial department will move to the office next week.
The high school’s auditorium received new seats at $79,475 through cooperative contract pricing.
The district completed tuckpointing at Leclarie Elementary School, Woodland Elementary School, and Glen Carbon Elementary School for $198,410, down from the budgeted cost of $495,000. The district is currently finishing Woodland’s tuckpointing, which will be done in time for the first day of school.
Phase two of the Central Office project will start soon. The curriculum department will move to the office and the district will end their lease with the Mannie Jackson Center for the Humanities, saving $93,000 a year.
There is also a need for an additional parking lot, as employees and visitors are currently parking at the Jon Davis Wrestling Center and walking to the Central Office.
“The parking is not suitable for the number of people we are trying to get into that space,” Duncan said. “We need to really be very intentional about the parking. So those are two upcoming projects that we will be bringing to the Board, and we’ll continue to update you through the process.”
Duncan also noted that the Mannie Jackson lease is set to expire on Jan. 31, 2027. At the next Board meeting, the Board will be asked to extend this lease through June 30, 2027, to “buy us more time” to move the curriculum department to the Central Office, Duncan said. The lease terms will remain the same, and the district can terminate the lease earlier with a 30-day notice if needed.
The district also leases a Kettle River property for storage. The lease ends on Dec. 31, 2026. The Board will be asked to renew the lease for another year while the district seeks additional warehouse storage. Duncan noted the district can also purchase this property if desired.
