Coconut Grove Elementary School is getting a new three-story classroom building in a $15.2 million project commissioned by the Miami-Dade County School Board.

The board hired architectural firm Gurri Matute, P.A. to design the building at its May 13 regular meeting, according to Miami-Dade County Public Schools. The district's announcement did not include a floor plan, a projected number of classrooms, or a construction timeline.

The project is one of several large capital investments the board has approved across the district this year. At a meeting on Oct. 21, the board commissioned approximately $50 million in General Obligation Bond projects at three other schools: Coral Gables Senior High School, Frances S. Tucker K-8 Center and Palm Springs Middle School.

In a separate action, the board also commissioned a project with an $85 million construction budget to combine Arthur & Polly Mays 6-12 Conservatory of the Arts and Pine Villa Elementary onto one campus, hiring James B. Pirtle Construction Company and Silva Architects, LLC.

The vote breakdown among board members on the Coconut Grove Elementary commission was not available in district records. How the project will be funded has not been specified in the district's public communications. The October projects were identified as General Obligation Bond work, but the district did not use that label for the Coconut Grove building in its May announcement.

The construction push comes as the district undergoes leadership changes. Rafael Villalobos, who started as a high school teacher in the district 32 years ago and most recently served as South Region superintendent for four years, was selected as the next superintendent to lead Miami-Dade County Public Schools. School Board Chair Mari Tere Rojas was re-elected to lead the board for the coming year.

The board also approved a $7.4 billion budget for the current fiscal year.

Coconut Grove families looking for updates on the building project can watch for agenda items at upcoming School Board meetings. The board's next regular meeting date has not been announced in the materials reviewed for this report.