Centerville Elementary in Urbana, Maryland has had an overcrowding problem for a while. To help relieve the problem, they are bringing in a portable building that will act as classrooms for the next school year.
The portable 12-classroom building is already being assembled and is known as the “Super Pod”. The building will total 14,000 square feet and will include lockers and restrooms. The portable building was previously at Lincoln Elementary during its renovations, but the Frederick County Board of Education decided last year that it would be moved to Centerville.
The building will also be outfitted with power, plumbing, and security measures such as an alarm system. The Super Pod cost around $150,000 when it was first purchased, but will cost upwards of $300,000 to 
take it down, reassemble it, and install all of its amenities.
Centerville Elementary Principal Stephen Raff said that the portable building will be used to house the school’s fourth and fifth grade classes. This will take about 280 of the 930 students from the main building and reduce some of the overcrowding. Centerville Elementary is currently operating at 137 percent capacity, so the portable building will at least be a temporary solution to the problem.
Centerville isn’t the only school in Urbana that is dealing with overcrowding. Many schools are also taking advantage of portable buildings to create more classrooms. A new elementary school is set to be built starting in 2015 to help permanently alleviate the overcrowding problem.
