Call to Action:
Can “design by committee” truly work? It has to. This project’s governance model is designed to feed all voices, input, and opinions directly into experiential outcomes for a new building. The new Health Science High School in Aurora, Colorado harnesses a diverse set of voices through a multi-level governance structure to guide all stakeholders input in a swift, precise, and actionable manner to deliver a new secondary education facility that aims to close skill-gaps in the health care industry, fortify the local economy, and bring prosperous outcomes to students across the district. Here are three action takeaways for attendees:

1. Research and identify regional workforce needs, and growth of career sectors.
2. Understand and create partnership timeline with community colleges, universities, healthcare and industry partners.
3. Create a governance structure to ensure the right voices are present to guide the programming, implementation, and design of facilities that close the skills gap pipeline.
4. Review how to develop a decision matrix.
5. Adapt a typical building design process and toolkit to respond to educational programming processes, governance guidelines, community needs, site conditions and education delivery.

Abstract: We know skills-based career education offers an array of on- and off-ramps for students to customize a career suited to their individual power. Harnessing student, parent, community, and employer interests that live in those intersections has the power to propel our communities into more prosperous futures. Finding those intersections is the challenge, and the opportunity. How can districts and designers organize and harness new models of engagement to create building programs for their communities? The Health Science High School at Aurora Public Schools hopes to fill a workforce gap in a flourishing industry with intense skills needs: Healthcare. After proposing and passing a new bond initiative in 2024, Aurora Public Schools seeks to develop a high school with 5 distinct yet interconnected healthcare pathways in collaboration with health systems and community college partners that brings together educators, planners, facilities, designers, and the community in a Governance Structure that will guide the programming, education, space design and outcomes of students in Aurora, Colorado. This process model can be used as a guide for other communities who are looking to grow or expand their education offerings into swift action and response, fortifying their districts and communities.

Learning Objectives:

1. How to identify and harness community partners to galvanize needs and interest with data.
2. Create the ability for all voices to be heard through a multi-level governance organization that provides input, voices, subject matter experts, and guidance to facility planning.
3. Fortify space and infrastructural needs to develop building program by codifying spatial needs for skills-based educational models.
4. Develop a building design toolkit that adapts and responds to governance, community needs, and education delivery, and site conditions.