Construction has gone smoothly so far. The project is on schedule and bids are coming in close to where the district projected, Supt. Dave Johnson said.

To allow construction workers enough time to finish renovations in the old portion of the high school, students will get out three weeks earlier than usual. Students won’t lose quite that many days of instruction because the district scheduled fewer vacations and teachers used nights and weekends for workshop, prep and training time.

A shorter school year isn’t ideal, Johnson said, but it’ll be worth it for students in the long run because the improvements will move the LSH educational bar up a notch.

“Every program and every space is being improved,” he said. “It’s just necessary for us to provide for the kids and help them a world that’s really changing.”