In addition, the board said it will form a “Better Together Committee” to handle the merger, including planning how to rename the school as well as planning unifying events for students, family and staff.
The decision
This decision in part will address the “excess operational space and high maintenance costs” of the Van Buren building, the board said.
The board said that the merger will also lead to collaboration between middle and high school staff, create more opportunities for students by combining clubs and activities and allow school staff to work together.
There is no plan to lay off staff as a result of the merger, the board said, though as staff members resign or retire they will evaluate whether to fill the vacant position again.
In a separate FAQ document, the board said that they decided that it would be too costly to invest in Van Buren Middle School to wait for construction on a new school to merge the school populations. It said the district would need to invest about $2,849,000 to keep the school “warm, safe and dry” for the next five years.
Credit: Jen Balduf
Credit: Jen Balduf
It added that they decided to use the Kettering Middle School building to house the consolidated middle school population because it is larger and was built more recently, so is more structurally sound. The board stressed, though, that the longer-term plan was to construct a new middle school rather than renovate the Kettering Middle School campus.
Informational meetings are scheduled for staff and parents as follows:
- Van Buren Middle School Staff: Wednesday, Nov. 5 at 7:50 a.m. in the VBMS IRC
- Kettering Middle School Staff: Wednesday, Nov. 5 at 4 p.m. in the KMS Auditorium
- Van Buren Middle School Parent Forum: Monday, Nov. 10 at 6 p.m. in the VBMS Auditorium
- Kettering Middle School Parent Forum: Wednesday Nov. 12, at 6 p.m. in the VBMS Auditorium
The 10-year plan
Consolidating the middle schools into a new school building was part of a 10-year plan that the district announced in October. The new building would be finished after about five years.
At the time, doubts were expressed whether the building could last five more years, with Superintendent Mindy McCarty-Stewart saying, “There needs to be a time where we have to weigh what are we investing in that knowing that it’s only going to be here for five more years?”
According to the plan, Van Buren will be demolished, with the space then used for athletic fields.
Eventually, both middle school buildings would be replaced by a new building, according to the plan.
Staff writer Jen Balduf contributed to this report.
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