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STERLING HEIGHTS/UTICA/SHELBY TOWNSHIP — A complete reconstruction of Graebner Elementary is underway as Utica Community Schools and school officials recently held a groundbreaking ceremony to officially begin a yearlong reconstruction of the school.
In May of 2023, approximately 70% of voters approved the $550 million “Safety and Success” bond issue, which is paying for this project. This is the second year of improvements through the bond issue with major projects from last summer that included building walls and doors at elementary schools constructed with open-concept designs, redesigns of several parking lots, and replacement of doors and hardware where needed. The district also began reconstructing DeKeyser Elementary School last summer, and the district said that it will open in August.
“Graebner Elementary is the next step toward realizing our vision of how elementary schools will support student achievement and innovation,” Superintendent Robert S. Monroe said in a press release. “The project reflects the transformational nature of the improvements being made through our 2023 Safety and Success bond issue.”
The Graebner project will install what the district described as “multiple layers of entry points that can be locked down in the event of an emergency, professional learning communities for large and small group instruction, classrooms that provide teachers state of the art technology and designs that allow for flexibility of instruction.”
“Learning communities will introduce a new way of teaching and learning at the elementary level,” Jennifer Kane, Utica Community Schools coordinator of public relations, said in an email. “Classrooms will be grouped together by grade levels with a shared learning community outside of each group of classrooms. The shared space emphasizes collaboration and creativity through visible learning, with students seeing these important life skills modeled at school daily by staff and their peers.
“Integral to the individual teaching approach of each staff member and unique learning style of each student is the flexibility of instruction by use of furniture, technology, and resources. This flexibility will be a design focus of classrooms and learning communities alike, allowing for students and staff to adjust the space to best support student achievement at the individual, small or large group, and classroom level.”
Graebner Elementary students and staff will be relocated for the 2025-2026 school year to Rose Kidd Elementary School in Sterling Heights while Graebner undergoes reconstruction.
“This reconstruction is more than just physical improvements — it’s an investment in our school community and its future,” Graebner Elementary Principal Elizabeth Bojaj said in a press release. “The upgrades will allow us to better support innovative teaching practices, improve safety and accessibility, and create welcoming spaces that reflect our commitment to excellence.”
Graebner Elementary is the second of three reconstruction projects. DeKeyser Elementary was the first and Havel Elementary will be the third during the 2026-2027 school year.
Other ongoing projects that are part of the first phase of the bond issue include safety improvements, technology upgrades such as interactive projection systems, replacement of playground equipment at elementary schools, new turf softball and baseball fields at Henry Ford II and Eisenhower high schools, renovations to Swinehart Field and Runkel Field, and a Stevenson athletic complex at 16 Mile and Dodge Park roads for new tennis courts and softball and baseball fields.
For more information on Graebner Elementary improvements, visit uticak12.org/graebnerbond, and for information on the 2023 bond issue, visit uticak12.org/safety andsuccess.
