Austintown elementary school could be immense

Austintown elementary school could be immense

AUSTINTOWN — Austintown has always been known as a big school district.

For the sake of efficiency, it is possible the 5,000-student district will become big in a new way within a couple of years — having one of the biggest elementary school buildings in the state.

Superintendent Doug Heuer says the district will be eligible by next year to receive about 50 percent of the money needed from the Ohio School Facilities Commission to replace its five elementary buildings and renovate two others.

The Cleveland consulting company R.P. Carbone recommended that the district replace its five elementary school buildings with two new ones of about 700 pupils each. On Feb. 27, the school facilities commission also recommended two new buildings.

But Heuer had another idea: How about one? He asked Steve Roka, a school facilities commission consultant, and Roka said the single-building concept was a “reasonable alternative,” Heuer said.

Heuer and schools facility spokesman Rick Savors agree that if Austintown went with the single-school concept, the district would be among only a couple in the state with such a large elementary school. Heuer said such large elementary schools are more common in large cities and in other states.

“That’s larger than what you usually see in Ohio,” Heuer said.

Read more in Sunday’s Vindicator and at vindy.com