The Charleston CUSD 1 Board of Education discussed moving around 400 Charleston Middle School students to Coleman Hall in August following the June 17 tornado at their special meeting Wednesday, according to Superintendent Chad Burgett.

If this proposal is approved at the board’s July 15 meeting, CMS would occupy the first two floors of Coleman Hall and any EIU courses previously scheduled to be held on those floors will be moved to a different location on-campus but still be held at the same time.

Any EIU employees offices in Coleman Hall would not be moved as a result of this change.

“Nobody plans for an emergency, but I was grateful that the folks in Coleman Hall have been gracious,” Eastern President Jay Gatrell said.

Discussions with EIU about housing CMS began the day after the tornado hit, Burgett said.

The CMS roof deck was ripped off by the tornado and resulted in the gymnasium, cafeteria, media center and 12 classrooms being flooded.

Additionally, the locker rooms and basement were completely flooded, and some outdoor sports facilities like the home softball dugout and tennis court fence will need repaired.

Burgett said the damages will cost upwards of over $3 million to repair.

The gym floor suffered the most damage, but carpet and tile throughout the building may need removed after upcoming inspections take place, Burgett said.

Burgett said teachers will slowly be allowed to enter CMS once it’s deemed safe to gather their things, but teachers aren’t expected to move the belongings themselves.

He also said he doesn’t anticipate CMS being moved back into the middle school before Christmas.

Specifics of how the CMS semester will play out are being organized into a plan that will be shared at the board’s July 15 meeting.

“We have questions, we have answers; we don’t have them together,” Burgett said. “It’s going to look different, but we will be alright. We’ll get through this.”

Luke Brewer can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected].