George School Unveils 30-Year Master Plan for Campus Improvements

The George School campus. File photo. Credit: LevittownNow.com

The George School in Middletown Township has presented a comprehensive master plan for campus development spanning the next 20 to 30 years.

Presented Monday evening before the Middletown Township Board of Supervisors, the plan outlined multiple phases of construction and renovation aimed at improving academic, residential, and community spaces without increasing student enrollment.

Attorney Ed Murphy, who was representing the George School, introduced the plan as the result of extensive visioning sessions conducted by the school’s board of trustees over the past couple of years.

“Over the last couple years, the board of trustees had a series of visioning sessions to think about what George School is going to look like in 2050 or beyond,” Murphy said.

Robert Kleimenhagen, the director of the physical plant at the George School, detailed the plan that represents the first master planning effort for the campus, which sits on the border with Newtown Township, in 20 years.

“We started on a master plan back in 2022. It was the first master plan that we have done on campus in a 20-year period,” Kleinhagen says. “That master plan looked at three core areas for us on campus: our academic, our community areas, and our residential areas.”

Plans for the George School campus. Credit: Submitted

The first phase of the plan, which Kleimenhagen indicates could begin by the end of this year, includes an expansion of the lobby and restroom renovations for the Walton Performing Arts Center.

“We’re looking to do an addition on that building that would hopefully start by the end of the year. We are in design on that now,” Kleimenhagen stated.

The second phase, funded by a recent donor gift, involves adding four single-family homes on the north part of the campus within the township.

For the third phase, the school plans a connector building between two academic buildings – Bancroft Hall and Spruance Alden Science Centre – along with complete renovations of both facilities.

“The Bancroft building is close to 75 years old, is not air conditioned. We have a lot of needs to really bring our academic spaces up to 21st Century standards for teaching and learning,” Kleimenhagen explained.

Future phases include replacing the Hallowell Building, which currently houses visual arts programs including ceramics, photography, and wood shops. The replacement building would be approximately 30,000 to 45,000 square feet.

Additional long-term plans include constructing a student union campus dining hall and relocating maintenance facilities to the back of the campus off the north loop.

Murphy told the supervisors that each phase will require separate land development approval from the township.

“Each individual phase as it’s going to be presented constitutes a land development plan. So you’re going to see over the years multiple appearances before the team to seek individual land development approval for each phase,” Murphy stated.

The private boarding school hopes to establish a master plan agreement with the township, similar to what was done with the St. Mary Medical Center campus, to provide confidence as they engineer each phase “without having the fear of something changing, zoning wise or something else that would frustrate them down the road,” Murphy said.

“These changes that you’re going to see are designed to better improve both the student on-campus experience as well as the day students as well, together with faculty,” Murphy said. “A lot of the improvements are to buildings, facilities that are aging and improving the quality of the life of those that live and work and go to school there.”

Kleimenhagen confirmed the school plans to maintain its current enrollment of 540 students and approximately 150 to 160 faculty members.

“We’re not growing as a community, but the spaces themselves need to be rehabbed and refreshed,” he said.

The school traditionally aims for a mix of 55 percent boarding students and 45 percent day students, but Kleimenhagen noted they currently have a slightly higher percentage of day students following the pandemic.

“We are a little lower on the boarding. We’re about 48 to 52 and the goal is to get that back up,” Kleimenhagen explained.

When asked about potential disruptions to area roadways, Kleimenhagen assured the board that construction activities would primarily impact the campus itself rather than surrounding areas.

“They’re all within the heart of the campus. If anything, it’s more of a disruption to our day-to-day students and faculty and community,” he said. “I do not see a real impact at all out on the main road at all.”

The George School was founded by Quakers in 1893 and has been attended by students who have go on to become Nobel Prize-winning scientists, famous actors, high-profile journalists, politicians, executives, civil rights leaders, artists, historians, and business leaders.

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