Drawing of Proposal 3 for the Monroe Local Schools. This plan will be voted on at Monday's (March 11, 2002) school board meeting. | ZOOM |

        MONROE — Although some alterations have been made to the plans, the new school for Ohio's newest school district will still be one building for grades K-12 and should be ready in 2004, under a design recommended by a steering committee.

        Known as Plan 3, the proposal received support during a recent community meeting and approval from the steering committee, said Suzi Rubin, president of the Monroe Board of Education and a member of the committee.

        It goes before the school board for final approval during today's 7 p.m. meeting at Monroe Elementary School.

        “It's the same main concept as Plan 1. A few things have been moved around to make it better,” Mrs. Rubin said.

        School officials and community members have been reviewing several plans for a single building since November, when voters approved a $29.9 million bond issue that would pay for it. Lowered cost estimates based on recent construction projects allowed architect Mike Dingeldein to increase the building's size by 30,000 square feet without changing the budget.

        The new plan came in response to community support for separation of upper-grade students from lower grades.

        Plan 3 calls for a 240,000-square-foot building with a core area in the middle that houses two cafeterias; a single kitchen; offices; a media center with separate areas for the community, elementary students and junior/senior students; two gymnasiums and an auditorium.

        To one side of the core is a Y-shaped, two-story wing for elementary students. On the opposite side is a similar wing with junior high classrooms at one end, senior high at another.

        A gymnasium, which in Plan 1 was in the core of the building, was moved to the end of a junior high classroom wing to further separate junior and senior high school students. Another entrance, for junior high students only, will also separate the students.

        Mr. Dingeldein said the building would have about 96 classrooms. The core is large enough to support about 2,250 students.

        The district, formed two years ago after residents voted to split from Middletown schools, has 1,468 students. The school was designed so that it could be expanded if needed.

        “This proposal does not add cost to the project,” said Steve Campbell, director of facilities.

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