The public is invited to preview the preliminary architectural designs of Marshall Elementary, McLoughlin Middle School and Lieser Campus at an open house on Thursday, Jan. 24, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Attendees will be able to meet the planning teams, ask questions and provide feedback. The event will be held in the Marshall Elementary media center, 6400 MacArthur Blvd.

The planning teams for Marshall and McLoughlin have developed a unique design, which takes inspiration from the community symposiums held last year. At the symposiums, approximately 60 staff members, parents, students, partners and community members from each school imagined what their new schools could be.

The resulting unique design emphasizes the value of community by connecting Marshall and McLoughlin with a common wall. The schools will share a family-community resource center, a kitchen and mechanical systems. However, each school will have separate drop-off areas, entrances, outdoor activity areas and learning and common spaces.

Lieser Campus will be relocated to a remodeled Marshall Elementary School.

Construction is scheduled to begin this summer. Students will continue to attend classes in their current buildings while the replacement schools are built. All of the projects are anticipated to be completed in the fall of 2020.

Funding for these projects comes from a bond measure passed by voters in February 2017. More information about the projects covered by the bond can be found on the district's website at http://vansd.org/reschools/.