Melba School District officials are gearing up to construct a new elementary school, after a $9.5 million bond passed in March.

“The schools that are here have been around for a long time and need to be replaced,” said Superintendent Andy Grover, adding that the district accommodates 30-50 new students a year.

The process has begun to get a new school built by September 2016. The old high school and the district maintenance shop are first and will be demolished at the end of May. Once demolition is complete, crews will break ground and begin digging on an elementary school.

“We hope to start end of July or early August with building the new school,” Grover said. “We are trying to get the building built in a year and that is a pretty progressive timeline — we want to make sure it’s done right.”

Melba has 412 elementary students and the current school building holds only 160 kids — the rest are in portable structures. The new school will hold 650 students.

LKV Architects, which specializes in building elementary schools, is leading the new construction project that will be 62,000 square feet with 24 classrooms.

“The key thing is the elementary school will be all under one roof and security will be enhanced,” said LKV Architect owner and architect Amber Van Ocker.

Grover plans to have the latest technology in the all of the new classrooms.

“We have made it a priority in Melba to be on the forefront of technology,” Grover said. “Our hope is that we can build a school that will sustain growth for the next 50 years.”