Manassas, Va. — The Manassas City School Board recently approved the contract for the new Jennie Dean Elementary School, awarding the bid to Howard Shockey & Sons. The division received eight bids in total and ultimately awarded the contract to Howard Shockey & Sons for over $46.6 million. That figure is significantly lower than what the division originally budgeted for the project, at roughly $62 million.
Jennie Dean Elementary School is named after Jennie Dean, who was born into slavery in Sudley Springs, Virginia, in the late 1800s. Dean started the Manassas Industrial School, a vocational school for African American children. That school continued in operation throughout Dean’s life, and ultimately in 1977 the city of Manassas established its public school system, later transforming Jennie Dean into a middle school. 13 years later, it emerged as an elementary school. The elementary school serves preschool through fourth-grade students.
In response to the evolving educational landscape and the aging infrastructure of existing Jennie Dean Elementary School, Manassas decided to replace the outdated structure and build a new Jennie Dean.
On December 20, 2024, city officials, school board members, city council, MCPS leadership, and community members gathered for the ceremonial groundbreaking.
The builder is Howard Shockey & Sons, Inc. and the designer is RRMM Architects. The new building is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2026.
###
Source: this post is sourced in part from this article from InsideNOVA.