Thursday, April 27, 2006
A full report on the district's needs should be done by May.
By VIRGINIA ROSS
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
NORTH LIMA -- The South Range School District likely will need nine more classrooms within the next 10 years, says an assessment being completed by the Ohio Schools Facilities Commission.
Superintendent James Hall said earlier this week the commission has informed school officials the district is expected to have nearly 1,600 pupils in 10 years. There are now 1,349 pupils attending South Range.
"We're expecting to see more students at South Range, and those students will have to be accommodated," Hall said. "We're nearly full now."
School officials have been looking more closely at steps they may have to take to accommodate the anticipated growth spurts during the next few years.
In January, the school board asked the OSFC to conduct an analysis. The OSFC, which provides funding, management oversight and technical assistance to local school districts for the construction and renovation of school facilities, agreed to provide a free assessment of South Range's current facilities.
Full report due
Hall said the commission intends to forward a full report of its analysis to the school district by the end of May.
"Once we have the report we can begin looking at what options we have and what we will need to do to accommodate the anticipated growth," Hall said. South Range officials have talked about constructing a new building either behind the current high school or near the district's baseball fields on state Route 46.
Hall said cost estimates and financing options for such a venture are not yet available. Last year, the district bought a building that formerly housed a branch of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County. The building is near the high school, and school property surrounds much of it. The structure is being used for storage and various activities, and Hall has said he foresees moving several high school classes to that building.
Meanwhile, Beaver Township officials also have said they expect to see a population boom in the area, specifically an increase in the number of families with school-age children. Two new housing developments -- the Lakes of Beaver and Landings developments on Sharrott Road -- combined could accommodate about 100 single-family dwellings initially, with potential for growth at each of those sites.
Township officials said other residential housing developments also are being proposed.