STANFIELD — Stanfield School District could get its new bond projects done sooner than expected if students don’t return to the classroom this year.

The school district started demolition of its modular buildings on Tuesday. Superintendent Beth Burton said part of the project was originally intended to take place this week and wasn’t moved up.

Construction on the expansion of Stanfield Secondary School, however, was originally slated to start June 8. The Oregon Department of Education announced Monday that districts need to prepare for the fact students may not return to their brick-and-mortar classrooms at the end of April as currently scheduled. If the state officially decides students aren’t going back for the rest of the school year, Burton said, construction could start right away.

“We now kind of have a Plan A and a Plan B,” she said.

The $18 million bond, with $4 million in matching funds from the state, will add a wing onto the secondary school with a music room, four classrooms and full-sized gym with locker rooms. Two more classrooms will be added elsewhere, the career technical education area will be extended out by 30 feet, the district offices will move from a modular into the secondary school and the entryway and offices will be remodeled to increase security. The school will also get a new greenhouse, and at the elementary school the entryway will be remodeled and the parking lot reconfigured and expanded. Some of the money will also go toward asbestos abatement.

Burton said if construction starts in June and stays on schedule, the projects should be complete by August 2021, in time for the 2021-22 school year. Usually, the district starts school the third week in August, but that year would start after Labor Day to allow for construction to wrap up and staff to move into the space. She said if they’re able to start construction this spring, the buildings might be ready in time for the usual August start date instead.

When students return to school this fall, construction will continue on the campus during the 2020-21 school year. Burton said there will be a few adjustments to make that happen, such as having secondary school students walk over to the elementary school music classroom for their music classes.

“We juggled everything to make space,” she said.

Burton said the district will likely schedule some tours and possibly use a drone to shoot footage of the project as it moves along so that the community can follow their progress. If people want to check out the construction, she asked that they call ahead before visiting the campus.