“One of our goals in Kettering City School’s strategic plan is to develop high quality, modernized facilities that support evolving technology, equitable learning environments and long-term sustainability,” Assistant Superintendent Dan Von Handorf said.
The district’s aging schools — all but one is between 60 and 77 years old — are not flexible to meet today’s educational needs and also present increasing maintenance costs, he said.
Credit: Jen Balduf
Credit: Jen Balduf
“The buildings back then they just were not designed in the age of collaboration, innovation, technology, creatively,” Von Handorf said.
Plans to reduce number of school buildings
The Kettering City Schools Future-Ready Facilities plan is a 10-year plan divided into two segments to reduce the district’s footprint from 12 school buildings to seven to “right-size” the district for its enrollment needs.
Through a partnership with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission, Kettering City Schools is eligible to receive 43% for the base cost of construction of new schools. The OFCC assessment determined it is more cost-effective to build new rather than renovate all but Greenmount Elementary School, which was built in 2005.
At Fairmont High School, the state will co-fund a new academic wing; the other portions of the building, which are newer, will remain, Superintendent Mindy McCarty-Stewart said.
Segment 1 prioritizing ‘most immediate, critical need’
Segment 1 is to replace the two middle schools with one school on the Fairmont campus; tearing down and building a new academic wing at the high school; demolishing Van Buren Middle School; and making necessary improvements to keep the elementary schools safe, warm and dry.
“We prioritize the most immediate, critical need that is around Van Buren Middle School,” the superintendent said. “… It is increasingly a concern due to the costly infrastructure issues that are only temporarily repaired.”
With two middle schools, the OFCC reported the district has more than 41% square footage than needed.
Although a tour of Van Buren highlighted the narrow hallways and cramped classrooms, district officials said a new building would maximize usable space, with smaller classrooms for special needs students and classroom sizes based on the subject taught.
Also, there would only be a need for one cafeteria, gym, library and stage with consolidation.
“This approach acknowledges that today’s education includes a large percentage of our middle school students taking high school classes for credit, as well as sharing our highly trained educators between both the middle and high schools,” McCarty-Stewart said.
Segment 2 replaces, reduces schools
Segment 2 is to replace the eight elementary schools and early childhood center with four new schools for pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in addition to Greenmount Elementary, which will be renovated. The plan also calls for updates to the high school cafeteria and any outdated career tech classrooms, the superintendent said.
Credit: Jen Balduf
Credit: Jen Balduf
The cost of the first segment is an estimated $222 million, with the local share just under $163 million.
The Board of Education is expected to place a 5.99-mill bond issue on the May primary election ballot, said Treasurer Justin Blevins. The bond will be for 37 years, though Blevins said the maturity can be adjusted when they work with municipal advisers if they are able to structure the bonds to take advantage of changing interest rates.
The targeted date for completion of the new middle school is in the 2027-28 academic year. The plan is for the high school students to use the new middle school while the Fairmont academic wing is demolished and rebuilt, with a targeted completion by 2030, said Jeff Johnson, director of business services.
Will Van Buren last five more years?
One concern from the community was whether Van Buren would be able to last five years before middle school students would move to the new building.
“The building does have needs,” Johnson said. “To use the building in the next couple years, the district will need to look at roofing, HVAC, electrical to try to address some of those issues.”
McCarty-Stewart said they are concerned and work hard to keep the building warm, safe and dry.
“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?” McCarty-Stewart said.
However, the building is safe for students and staff.
“I send three of my kids here every single day, and I would not do that if they weren’t safe places for kids,” Von Handorf said.
Credit: Jen Balduf
Credit: Jen Balduf
Once Van Buren is demolished, it would be used for athletic fields. Kettering Middle School is expected to be used for field space. However, it will be more than 10 years before KMS is vacant because it will be used as a swing space for elementary students during construction of the elementary buildings.
‘We need to really focus in on keeping our families from leaving us’
Another community member questioned the need for collaborative spaces.
Von Handorf said it’s important for teachers to do different learning activities, and that some professions very much need collaboration.
“Our kids need to experience all of those opportunities, and our teachers need to have the ability to teach in a number of different ways so that our kids are ready for any job out there that they have an interest and aptitude for,” he said.
Others were concerned about whether enrollment would increase with new schools. However, Von Handorf said the experts find that there may be 100 or 200 new students, which is only a couple kids in a classroom or grade level in a district of 7,800 like Kettering.
“We need to really focus in on keeping our families from leaving us, and I really feel like this is an important piece of that as well,” McCarty-Stewart said.
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