Ground broken for new school

WARREN — School and city officials gathered Friday for a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Jefferson K-8 school at the corner of Fifth Street and Tod Avenue.

One pupil from each grade, along with the officials, held a shovel to celebrate the beginning of the new school.

The school will be built adjacent to Jefferson Elementary. The current school will remain operational during construction, and then be demolished.

The site is 19.5 acres.

The estimated budget for the school is $12.4 million. The school is projected to open in 2010.

The school is one of the four new K-8 facilities to be built in the district as part of the Ohio School Facilities Commission project.

In November 2003, district voters approved borrowing $40.7 million through the sale of bonds to finance the district’s share of a $153 million schools construction effort.

The OSFC then asked for a re-evaluation of school buildings, and a study showed that school district enrollment will continue to decline. It projected 1,660 fewer pupils in grades pre-kindergarten through 12 by the 2016-17 school year. Pupil enrollment at the end of the last academic year was 5,751.

This forced the district to change the plans from five new schools to four K-8 schools. The Lincoln K-8 school opened this fall on Atlantic Street, and the Willard K-8 school is projected to open next year. The last school will be built off Tod Avenue on the McGuffey School site.v