Wednesday, May 12, 1999

Expansions, new building urged for Lakota

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Schools face enrollment boom

BY SUE KIESEWETTER
Enquirer Contributor

        UNION TOWNSHIP — Lakota's East and West high schools should be expanded and an elementary school built to ease the classroom crunch in the fast-growing district, a school committee recommends.

        The projects would cost about $25 million and require taxpayers' approval.

        The Lakota Advisory Committee, a 33-member group of students, parents and community leaders, presented the plan to the Lakota Board of Education Monday night. Its members say even though the two Lakota high schools opened just two years ago, they should add classroom wings to house freshmen students. Those ninth-graders are now at the district's Freshman School on Tylersville Road.

LAKOTA GROWTH

Here's a look at Lakota's enrollment figures since 1990 and what is predicted to happen through 2003:   • 1990: 9,361.   • 1991: 10,205.   • 1992: 10,937.   • 1993: 11,637.   • 1994: 12,193.   • 1995: 12,700.   • 1996: 13,077.   • 1997: 13,530.   • 1998: 14,139.   • 1999: 14,713.   • 2000: 15,199.   • 2001: 15,553.   • 2002: 15,740.   • 2003: 15,985.   Source: Lakota Local Schools

        Each high school now has a capacity of 1,800, with about 1,400 students in grades 10-12 enrolled in each. Expansions would cost about $13.7 million and would push each building's capacity to 2,500.

        The freshman school would be converted to Lakota's fourth junior school for grades seven and eight.

        Another aspect of the plan calls for construction of another elementary school at an estimated cost of $11.4 million.

        “We struggled long and hard with this,” said Heather Chaney, leader of the committee.

        The group, assigned to study various aspects of district operations, has re searched the topic for the past 18 months.

        In the past five years, Lakota's enrollment has grown by about 2,500 and shows no signs of stopping. Lakota is like numerous suburban school districts in booming Clermont, Butler, and Warren counties and Boone County, Ky.Rapid residential growth has forced the need to build classrooms.

        If the elementary school and high school additions are built, the elementary population would fill 89.5 percent of classrooms, junior schools would be at 68.5 percent capacity and the high schools would stand at 93 percent capacity.

        That would allow for continued growth, said Doug Bethea, vice chairman of the advisory committee.

        This construction also would provide a good “feeder system” of students between the elementary schools, junior highs and the East and West high schools, commission members say.

        Ridge and the new junior school at the Freshman Building on Tylersville would feed into Lakota West.

        Meanwhile, students at Hopewell and Liberty junior schools would be assigned to Lakota East under the plan. Two or three elementary schools would each feed into the four junior schools.

        “Even factoring in normal incremental growth, the (expanded) high schools are sufficient for 10-plus years,” Mr. Bethea said.

        Board members did not vote on the commission's proposal. They will review it at future meetings.

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