A Strong Legacy
Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School (BBCHS) has been a cornerstone of the Bradley, Bourbonnais, and St. George communities for over 70 years. Built in 1948 to serve 300 students, the campus now supports nearly 2,000 students in grades 9–12. While the District maintained its facilities well, aging infrastructure and evolving educational needs created significant challenges.
Community-Driven Planning
In 2019, BBCHS partnered with BLDD Architects to evaluate current conditions and plan for the future. Planning was put on hold by the district in 2020. A new Superintendent brought a renewed commitment to inclusive, needs-based planning in 2023.
Community and District Priorities
- All Under One Roof: Eliminate temporary classrooms, consolidate programs, and create a safe, secure campus.
- Program Support: Flexible, updated spaces for collaboration, technology, and evolving teaching methods. Reduce travel distances, align departments, and improve daily operations.
- Dining Commons Solution: A dining commons designed to meet the needs of all students and improved scheduling to reduce lunch periods and maximize instructional time.
- Support the Whole Student: Space for health, wellness, counseling, and confidential student support.
Issues facing the district:
- Outdated Facilities: some over 70 years old
- Safety Concerns: 30 exterior doors and 12 modular classrooms requiring outdoor travel
- Space Limitations: small cafeteria forces 6 lunch periods daily, limiting functionality.
- Disconnected Layout: multiple additions over the years
Under the banner of “Building Better”, the District launched a full community engagement process—listening to what families, staff, and students wanted. What we heard was clear: the community doesn’t just want to catch up—they want to build for the next
50 years.
A Plan for Tomorrow
The developed master plan was built by the community—for the community. It addresses current needs and prepares BBCHS to serve students for generations to come—with safety, innovation, and student success at its core. During the campaign process, volunteers knocked on over 2,000 doors to help get the support needed to pass a referendum.
November 2024 passage of a bond referendum, resulting in $62,000,000 for the district.
Just over 10 years ago, prior to working with BLDD, the district sought a referendum. Community engagement was minimal and the community did not approve the plan. Utilizing BLDD’s planning process with QLEO in 2024, the community engagement was successful and the referendum passed 70/30 overall.
In 2017, District 186 embarked on a two-year comprehensive master plan that led to a successful sales-tax referendum. The journey involved the coordination and cooperation of many entities with differing missions uniting for a common goal.
As the Iowa City Community School District grappled with the challenges of rapid enrollment growth, aging facilities, equity concerns, and a desire for future-focused learning environments, they turned to the BLDD/Unicom•ARC team. The mission: conduct a comprehensive community engagement planning process to shape a long-term facilities master plan.