In-depth coverage
The Springfield News-Sun digs into important stories about education, including recent coverage of school report cards and third-grade reading scores.
By the numbers
$52.8 million: Cost to build a new elementary school and demolish three primary schools in the Clark-Shawnee Local Schools
$20 million: Cost of repairs to keep the existing buildings open instead of building a new school
30 percent: Share the Ohio Construction Facilities Commission will likely pay for the plan
Clark-Shawnee Local Schools will pursue a a $52.8 million plan to move seventh-and eighth-grade students to the high school, construct a new elementary school and demolish three buildings.
Students would move to the high school in the 2017-2018 school year. Construction of the new pre-kindergarten through sixth grade building and demolition of the three existing primary schools is contingent on the state funding 30 percent of the cost and voter approval of a bond issue.
Once the state approves the funding, the school board members will decide whether to place a bond issue on the November ballot, Superintendent Gregg Morris said.
The district must act now because its aging buildings have structural and other issues, he said, such as heating systems, roofs, wiring and plumbing problems that continue to inflate maintenance costs.
“If we decide to do nothing at this point, there’s still over the next 10 years going to have to be an estimated $20 million of repairs to keep these buildings open,” Morris said. “… That money will have to be spent and we’re going to have to find a way of generating it because the district just doesn’t have that money available. This discussion of facilities is an extremely important discussion for our community to have.”
District officials said there are no plans to layoff teachers, but the mix of those teachers may change based on the academic needs of students.
The Clark-Shawnee School Board unanimously voted in favor of the plan after a series of community forums in which parents of students and area residents reviewed multiple options and provided input on how the district should address overcrowding and the district's aging schools.
“A variety of the plans certainly could work and improve things for us. However, this plan has the advantage of bringing our community together, giving our staff opportunities to plan together and continue to improve programs. And also has an economic advantage. It would be less expensive to operate,” Morris said.
The superintendent said he liked several of the options the district presented to the public, but particularly favored the plan board members approved.
“This one had significant benefits in terms of cost of construction,” Morris said.
The state has offered to pay 30 percent of the estimated $52.8 million cost through the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission, contingent on community approval of a bond issue within the year, Clark-Shawnee spokeswoman Megan Anthony said.
The estimated cost for Clark-Shawnee would be $34.7 million, Anthony said, and the district would make use of a $2.2 million credit earned through previous renovations at Shawnee High School.
The district is expected to build the new school near Shawnee High School, at the north corner of Possum Road and Selma Pike where the administration building is located.
One wing of the new school will house pre-school through third graders and it will have its own principal, Morris said.
The other wing will be for intermediate grades four through six and all students will share the middle of the building, which will house food service, a media center and gymnasium.
Clark-Shawnee School Board President David DeHart said some area residents expressed concern about the students being housed in one large building, but he said putting the students in one location will save money.
DeHart said the district owns about 100 acres of land at the site of the new school.
“From an economic standpoint it was the lowest cost option for taxpayers and at the same time there’s going to be high academic benefits to the community as well,” DeHart said.
Shawnee High School will serve as a middle school and a high school.
Combining the schools is expected to give middle school students more academic opportunities and ease overcrowding. The district could offer more advanced math, science, engineering, more labs for science and will allow staff the ability to be able to plan together, Morris said.
The middle and high school students will be separated for most of their basic academic courses, but those taking advanced courses for high school credit will go through the high school.
All students will use the high school gym and will eat lunch in the high school, but will have separate lunch periods.
“They’ll be totally separated from the high school,” Morris said.
Morris said the district’s aging buildings weren’t designed for the programs offered to students today.
DeHart agreed, adding that while the high school had empty classrooms, schools such as Reid and Possum struggled with overcrowding.
“We have people tutoring in closets, are tutoring in old locker rooms, tutoring in the open stubs in the hallways. It’s just not a good environment to be doing those types of activities,” DeHart said.
He hopes residents in the district will support the bond issue.
“We’re at a crossroads that we need to do something now with our facilities because our buildings are so old and ancient … If we keep what we have, we’re still going to have to come to taxpayers,” DeHart said. “There’s going to be a cost one way or the other.”
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