Groundbreaking ceremony for new Southeast High School set for Sept. 29

The Wichita school district will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Southeast High School at 6 p.m. Sept. 29.

The ceremony will take place at the site of the new school, 12301 E. Pawnee, near Pawnee and 127th Street East, according to a notice released by the district Wednesday.

The Wichita school board voted last summer to build a new Southeast High. The school – by far the largest and most expensive project approved as part of the 2008 bond issue – is expected to cost nearly $60 million and open in the fall of 2016.

Last week board members unanimously approved the first part of the project, a $1.17 million contract with Unruh Excavating to complete preliminary ground work at the site.

They also saw an aerial video “sketch” of the new school, a massive 300,000-square-foot building that will sit on about 125 acres. It includes a two-story “tech plaza” that will house career and technical education programs.

This story was originally published September 17, 2014 at 11:59 AM with the headline "Groundbreaking ceremony for new Southeast High School set for Sept. 29."