Baldwin-Whitehall's new elementary school to be named after superintendent Lutz

The Baldwin-Whitehall school board has decided to name a new elementary school that is planned to begin construction later this year after the district’s current superintendent.

The R.A. Lutz Elementary School is expected to be ready to house 1,200 students in third through fifth grades by the 2022-23 school year.

“I am extremely grateful to the school board of directors for this unexpected decision,” Superintendent Randal Lutz said in a statement. “Serving the students, families, and community of Baldwin-Whitehall has been my great honor for more than 20 years. My hope is to ensure that Lutz Elementary will provide a welcoming, engaging and enriching educational environment where learners from all across our entire district will feel inspired and supported for many years to come.”

The new building, which is expected to cost $48 million, will replace the 52-year-old W.R. Paynter Elementary. Officials have said the building is in disrepair and is too costly to renovate. Officials decided to close Paynter in June 2020 and redistribute the student body to a newly named J.E. Harrison Education Center, which will house kindergarten through sixth grades until the new building’s expected completion in Fall 2023.

Construction on Lutz Elementary was originally scheduled to begin in March but officials have said it will start later this year.

When construction is completed, students in third through fifth grade will enter the new building and Paynter will be demolished in order to create space for parking and athletic fields.

McAnnulty Elementary School will then serve as the district’s kindergarten school with around 400 students. Whitehall Elementary will be for children in first and second grades, with around 800 students. The new building will have 48 classrooms and serve students in third through fifth grades. The middle and high schools will not change.

“The naming of the district’s new school building was of extreme importance to the board,” said Anthony DiCesaro, the school board’s president. “Our plans evolved over several discussions regarding what or who should be considered for the school’s name. Each time we spoke, it came back to Dr. Lutz and his decades–long commitment to the students of the district. His leadership has always charted new paths for the district, creating a culture in which all who learn and work here feel supported to ‘dare greatly,’ to explore and to try. Dr. Lutz’s response to the challenges of the past year have further revealed his strength of character and the depth of concern for our school communities – it’s made this decision an easy one.”

Lutz is a Baldwin native and graduated from Baldwin High School. He has worked at the district for 24 years and became superintendent in 2012.