BY SUE KIESEWETTER
Enquirer Contributor
OXFORD -- Educators in the Talawanda Schools want to know what taxpayers think the district should do about its aging school buildings.
For the past several months, Talawanda school board members have been studying options to improve the district's facilities. The discussion was sparked by a need to either close or renovate and make handicap accessible the 69-year-old Stewart Elementary School. From there the Talawanda Board of Education broadened its scope to include needs at all five schools in the district.
"We're looking to the future and we want to stay on top of things," board President William Vollmer said. "We have to decide whether to renovate Stewart or not and then move on. The high school needs more room for expansion of programs and electrical upgrades for technology."
During a community meeting earlier this summer, several ideas were suggested.
Those thoughts will become part of the survey that goes out to the community, said Assistant Superintendent Phil Cagwin.
The options:
• Build a high school and renovate Talawanda High School as an elementary building. A new high school would allow for a larger media center, improved science labs and other space for program enhancements.
• Build an elementary school and close Stewart.
• Build a high school and move middle school children to a renovated Talawanda High School, using the middle school as an elementary building.
Other suggestions included renovating Stewart Elementary and adding classrooms to Maud Marshall and Kramer elementary schools or expanding the middle school and adding another gymnasium.
"We're looking to Wright State (University) to give us scientific evidence through the survey on what our community wants and will support," Mr. Vollmer said. "We've done our homework. We can't home in on anything specific until we do this survey."
Any new buildings or major renovations would have to be paid for by a tax increase, officials said.
Mr. Vollmer said he would like to have the survey completed and sent to residents, and the results compiled and discussed by late January. That way, if the board decided to put the project on the May ballot, it could meet the February deadline for putting issues on the ballot.
To share your ideas about Talawanda School District's buildings,call contact administrators at 523-4716.
