JERRY CITY – The process for adding space continues at Elmwood Local Schools.
A presentation by architect Garmann Miller will be heard at the February board of education meeting,
outlining four areas of concerns.
A presentation is preferred over a written report as it allows for questions, said board President Debbie
Reynolds at Monday’s meeting.
“I guarantee we’re going to have a lot of questions,” she said.
The four areas of concern include classroom space at the main building, the elementary playground and
outdoors basketball court, the facility at the football stadium and the community center, said
Superintendent Tony Borton.
The space study of the school is the biggest concern, he said. “Moving forward, if we want to address the
space issue, what are the options.”
The need for more space comes from a slow but steady growth in student enrollment.
Enrollment in the district is up 50 students in the last five years, from 1,259 during the 2015-16 school
year to 1,303 at the official count in October. There are 14 more students this year than last year,
according to Borton.
Space has been an issue since the building opened in 2014, he said.
“If you want to add programming in career tech or add more special ed units or preschool, we just have no
space,” Borton said.
He also doesn’t want to build for just what is needed because he doesn’t want to always be on the edge of
not having quite enough space.
The building was designed for the addition of classrooms at each of its wings.
Options include adding to the elementary wing either north or west, the middle school wing south, and the
high school wing east. The high school and middle school additions could be two stories, adding eight
classrooms each. The elementary would be one story, with two or four classrooms added.
The cost of each option will be included in Garmann Miller’s presentation.
Board member Brian King said it is less costly to do more than one pod at a time, and that it costs less
to build two stories rather than one.
“It is much cheaper to go up than it is to go out,” he said.
Borton said in November that the district has been gaining a handful of students at each grade for the
last four or five years. While most grades average 90 students, there are 108 in the fifth grade and 105
in the ninth grade.
There is no room for the district to expand its kindergarten or preschool, and the idea to move students
with special educational needs back to their home school also is problematic, as there is no space.
There also are no open classrooms at the community center; when the K-12 school opened, the classroom
wing at that building was demolished.
Borton’s plan to hold off looking at the community center was overruled by members of the board.
“I told (Garmann Miller) at this point don’t start that until we have a better feel of what’s going on,”
Borton explained Monday about his plans for that facility.
He wants to know the long-term plan for the school, and he doesn’t want to put a bunch of money in the
community center if the school is going to be expanded.
“To me, that just seems like money that’s going to be wasted.”
Board member Ryan Lee disagreed, stating that when the time comes to decide on space in the main
building, it may be important to have ideas of the possible projects at the center.
“I don’t think any of us have a preconceived notion of what has to be done. I think we want to just do
what is in the best interest of the overall district and try to do it prudently and the most
cost-effective way possible,” King said.
He agreed with Lee that the community center should be in the scope of the initial presentation.
“I think it has to be a full evaluation. It doesn’t mean we have to do them all right now, but at that
point we can prioritize what the findings are,” King said.
The bathrooms should be updated at the community center, since they are used by concert-goers and fitness
center users, King said.
Reynolds said h the community center, which was the former high school, was preserved for a reason and
she doesn’t think the building is being used to its full potential.
The gym is used daily, the auditorium is used for presentations and concerts and plays by both the
district and the community, plus the building is used as a fitness center and by the wrestling team.
Other than a roof, not much has been done to that building in the last 15 years since the new school
opened, King said. It needs some tender loving care, he said.
The idea to put students with special needs in the community center also was addressed, but Borton
prefers to not isolate them in that building.
A tour of the school and the community center is planned to look at every space available.