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Middle School Expansion May Move Forward: Ohio Board to Review Plan

Posted on: Thursday, 15 June 2006, 06:01 CDT

By Adrienne Steinfeldt, Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Ky.

Jun. 15--Ohio County sixth-graders could move one step closer to the middle school tonight, if the school board approves a facilities plan that focuses on expanding the middle school and renovating Beaver Dam Elementary School.

With the addition of 12 classrooms and more cafeteria and kitchen space -- at a cost of about $2.2 million -- Ohio County Middle School would have no problem making room for the sixth-graders, said Principal Beckie Stobaugh.

"It's a wonderful opportunity to build a stronger academic program here at the middle school," she said. "Right now one of the challenges is we have six feeder schools that have six different programs. It is so hard to unite our efforts to develop curriculum."

Parents have expressed concern over the move at three forums in the past few months, many saying they don't want their children to be forced to grow up too quickly by going to school with older children.

But "there's more alarm than is necessary," Stobaugh said. "I think it's one of those things that once it's done and in place, there will be little conversation about it. Now, in the middle of potential change, it seems to be a concern."

It would take at least two years for the construction to be completed and the sixth-graders to be relocated. They would have a separate wing of the building set aside just for the sixth grade.

When and if that happens, overcrowding problems at the elementary schools should be solved, Superintendent Soretta Ralph said.

She approves of the plan the facilities committee has drawn up.

"I think it's a good plan," she said. "In my opinion, it's the best plan we could come up with to meet needs and address overcrowding issues."

The planning committee had to decide how to spread limited funds to cover pressing needs at several elementary schools.

If the plan is approved by the school board, Beaver Dam Elementary School will be allotted $4.46 million for five new classrooms, a major renovation of the gymnasium, a new kitchen, cafeteria, administrative suite, family resource center, media center and several special education rooms. A music classroom, an art classroom and Americans with Disabilities Act compliance is included in the upgrade.

Horse Branch Elementary School, which was originally scheduled to have a new school this bonding cycle, is not on the list of projects to be upgraded with bond money.

Instead, the improvements there must be made with school district funds.

The school would be made ADA-compliant, and problems with the sewer system and drainage in the cafeteria would be fixed. Old modular classrooms would be upgraded.

The facilities cannot be upgraded with bond money because the school is still considered a transitional structure. That designation could be changed by the school board, but that isn't in the plan right now.

"We're just going to continue with the way things are right now," Ralph said. "It's not costing us that much more to operate the Horse Branch School. ...Hopefully the enrollment will increase in the Horse Branch area."

The improvements scheduled will help address the worst problems at the school, Principal Jeff Martin said.

"I would like to get everything I could for Horse Branch," he said. But "that's our major needs right there. If we could get those addressed, I think we'd be in good shape."

Ralph said that the school district does have the money to make the spot improvements at Horse Branch.

There is no cost estimate for the work included in the facilities plan.

Other schools scheduled for upgrades in the 2006-08 cycle are Ohio County High School, Wayland Alexander Elementary School, Ohio County Area Technology Center, Southern Elementary School and Fordsville Elementary School.

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What's Next

The Ohio County Board of Education meets at 6 tonight at the district office in Hartford to consider the changes proposed by the Local Planning Committee. If approved, the plan will be presented for a public hearing at a date and time to be announced.

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Copyright (c) 2006, Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Ky.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: Messenger-Inquirer

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