Wednesday, May 19, 1999
Mason schools squeezed
Dialogues help officials plot course of action
BY MIRIAM SMITH
The Cincinnati Enquirer
MASON — In four years, Mason High School is projected to be bursting with 548 students beyond its capacity.
School officials hope residents can help find ways to accommodate them.
The second of two community dialogues held today from 7-9 p.m. in the high school commons will focus on the district's future building options.
With buildings at capacity and enrollment increasing so quickly, the district will have to make some choices.
Enrollment in Mason schools has more than doubled in the last nine years and officials estimate it will double again in 2004-2005. About 25 percent of the land in the district has yet to be developed.
Mason was the fastest-growing of the 77 school districts in Greater Cincinnati in the last year in terms of the number of new students. Last fall, it gained 580 students.
District officials anticipate it will grow from its present 5,354 students to 10,317 students in 2004.
The dialogues have been planned by a steering committee of 47 residents, parents, private school parents, business and community leaders and educators.
Their goal is to develop a plan based on community in put, which they hope to present to the board of education in June.
The most critical discussion likely will involve plans for the high school.
Three options are:
• One larger high school.
• Two high schools, both for grades 9-12.
• One high school for grades 10-12 and a grade-9 building.
The present high school, which has a maximum capacity of 1,850 students, could be the core of a larger high school, said district spokeswoman Shelly Benesh.
The present building could also be one of two high schools, or the district could choose to build a new, larger high school and use the present structure for different grade configurations, she said.
School officials can't determine how much it will cost taxpayers to pay for facilities until they know what needs to be built, Ms. Benesh said.
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