Jordan School District Board of Education Member Lisa Dean, who represents part of the West Jordan area, said she receives the most comments and questions about one topic more than any other.

“Since I've been on the board, the main feedback I have gotten from patrons who are associated in any way at all with West Jordan High School has been about how much they would love to see the building improved,” Dean told the board last fall.

The board has been scheduling high school building upgrades based on their age and West Jordan High School’s 43-year-old building is finally at the top of the list. Preparations for the four-year project began this summer.

The first sign of West Jordan High School’s upcoming remodel was a new parking lot in the southeast corner of the campus. In the next few months, 12 portable classrooms will be placed there to provide temporary classrooms while the classrooms in the building are upgraded, one section at a time.

“I think seeing the asphalt and those portables come in would just give a lot of people a sense of optimism,” Dean said.

The board considered a variety of project schedules. Bingham High School’s remodeling process, which took place over five consecutive summers, disrupted learning when it frequently overlapped into the school year. Relocating students to another building could have cut the construction time to two years but there was not a school available to accommodate the entire student body. The Board chose a four-year construction schedule, with major projects, such as the common areas, auditorium and cafeteria, to be done during summer breaks, and simpler classroom upgrades to take place during the school year.

“I feel like it's a very innovative approach," Dean said. “It seemed the least disruptive and just very sensible. It will simplify the process and also reduce the amount of inconvenience that employees and students feel during the remodel.”

The project, set to be completed the summer of 2029, includes upgrades to architectural, structural, electrical and mechanical systems as well as upgraded technology.

While the details of the project are not finalized yet, WJHS Principal Michael Hutchings said the remodel will impact every part of the building, and will resolve many of the problems that come with an older building.

“We're just thrilled, as you can imagine,” Hutchings said. “We have a lot of hopes and desires for our school and students, and we just feel like this is important to help us move forward. I'm really excited about all of it, because I feel like we have a lot of needs, and to be able to see those needs being addressed is going to be pretty amazing.”

Students, parents and school employees provided input on the remodeling plans.

“Every department met with the architects,” Hutchings said. “They brought some of their priorities and had a meeting to be able to discuss what they felt like they needed.”

One of the biggest complaints about the building was resolved just before the school year began; replacing the chillers to improve classroom temperatures was one of the district’s summer capital projects.

JSD Board Member Darrell Robinson frequently champions JSD’s trend to remodel older schools instead of replacing them. He said Bingham High School’s recent remodel cost $40 million but a complete rebuild would have cost $200 million.

“Jordan District chooses to make wise, fiscally conservative decisions to remodel instead of rebuild,” Robinson said on a social media post. “West Jordan High School will receive around $80 million for a total makeover, giving West Jordan High School another 20 or 30 years of life.”

Dean said some students and parents wanted the modern and aesthetically impactful design of a brand new school, but she hopes they appreciate that WJHS is still an impressive school.

“I'm so happy that we're having this remodel, but I also think sometimes we forget that, for a lot of people, it's already an amazing building,” she said. “I am just so excited for the community, very excited. I think this is wonderful for the West Jordan community and feeder system.”