AUBURN — The Auburn School Committee on Wednesday is expected to vote on the first phase of building a large campus similar to a university to have all of the city’s students on one site.

The plan would mean a new Edward Little High School would not be built at the current site, which would be too small for all of the city’s schools, Superintendent Katy Grondin said Friday.

The Auburn Master Facilities Committee will recommend at a School Committee meeting at 7 p.m. Dec. 7 approval of a comprehensive campus plan.

The facilities committee began meeting in October with hired consultant Miked McCormick.

On Nov. 16, McCormick announced the group was leaning toward two plans. One would close East Auburn Community School and Washburn Elementary, turn Walton Elementary into a space for alternative programs, adult education, special education and administrative offices; Edward Little would get a major renovation, and Auburn Middle School would be expanded to hold sixth-graders.

The second plan was to build a huge complex for all 3,600 students, which would mean finding a location large enough for multiple buildings. Most of the city’s schools would eventually be closed. One exception could be the new Park Avenue Elementary School.

Some residents blasted the single campus idea at the Nov. 16 hearing; others praised it. Most said something must be done about the poor condition of the high school.

Since that hearing, the facilities committee decided to go forward with the single-campus plan, Grondin said Friday. From public feedback at the hearing, it was clear that doing something about the inadequate Edward Little High School building is a top priority, Grondin said.

“We are going to ask the School Committee to support the report, which does state our hope” of building a comprehensive learning campus in phases.

According to a statement sent home with students Friday and Monday, the first phase of this plan would take from one to seven years. It would involve:

* Finding a site for the single-campus concept.

* Designing a campus in concept only for community discussion and cost estimates.

* Securing funding, permits and approval, then designing and building a new high school, and planning an expansion of the middle school to hold sixth-graders.

Grondin said money from Auburn taxpayers and state school construction money would be sought to pay for the new buildings. She emphasized that phase one mostly involves a new high school.

“When we build a new high school, we want to make sure we have enough land if we want to go to a comprehensive campus,” if that is the desire seven to 10 years from now, she said.

A single campus would provide exciting opportunities, she said, including flexibility for student programs and programs for preschoolers and senior citizens. It would give all students amenities, such as an auditorium for performing arts. And a single campus would provide a community meeting center for residents.

Wednesday’s meeting will be held at Auburn Hall in the City Council meeting room.

For more information, go to www.auburnschl.edu.

In response to some residents saying they wanted better communication, the Auburn School Department now has a Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Auburn-School-Department/126746567380600e.

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