By Sue Kiesewetter
Enquirer contributor

WEST CHESTER TWP. - Lakota Schools plan to make more room for a growing high school population by building a second freshman school and adding classrooms to Lakota East and West high schools - instead of building another high school.

Doing that would provide a clean feeder system for the district, school officials said. Lakota Plains and Ridge junior school students would go to the existing freshman school and then on to Lakota West High School.

Students attending Liberty and Hopewell junior schools would go to the new freshman school and then on to Lakota East High School.

"This option would bring the best education to the families of Lakota at the least dollar cost," said Joan Powell, president of the Lakota Board of Education.

The plan's price tag is estimated at between $33 million and $35 million - or less than three mills in new taxation, said Alan Hutchinson, school treasurer. It would increase capacity for students in grades 9-12 from 4,800 to about 6,000, Powell said.

The district expects to have about 5,500 students in grades 9-12 by 2010. There are now about 1,800 students at Lakota West and 1,650 at Lakota East, said Jon Weidlich,schools spokesman.

Classrooms would be added to both Lakota East and West to increase capacity from 1,800 to 2,250. The two freshman schools would be configured for 750 ninth-graders each.

The high school plan, which will become part of a district master plan, would be paid for through a ballot issue the school board would put on the ballot in March. Along with the freshman school issue, the ballot question would include money for construction of one or more elementary schools and operating dollars.

The deadline for putting an issue on the March ballot is Dec. 18, according to the Butler County Board of Elections.

"It's not my first choice, but I'll support it. I see benefits to it,'' said West Chester parent Lynda O'Connor, who has two school-age children. "I have seen the board put a lot of time studying this and they've gotten a lot of input. My personal preference would have been two large high schools and one small high school.''

The board has been wrestling for months with four options to increase space for high school students. It has solicited input on each plan through focus groups, community meetings and surveys.

Wednesday, the board narrowed the options to two - two high schools with two freshman schools or three equal-size high schools - before looking at each to see how it would affect operating costs and other factors.

Board members said advantages of staying at two high schools included not having to redraw boundary lines for the junior or senior high schools, having enough students to offer advanced courses, lower operating costs and less disruption to education during construction.

"I have a bit of sadness," said board member Dan Warncke, who sat on the Facilities Committee with Powell. "It will be the first configuration where everybody (in the district) will not come together at one school."

Eighth-grader Ashley Durko agreed.

"I kind of don't like it," Ashley said of the plan. "I don't think we should have two separate freshman buildings. I like meeting kids from different parts of the district."

Ashley's mom, Cathy, has a different opinion.

"I like having two freshman schools. The kids stay together with their friends."

Board member Susan McLaughlin said the already healthy competition between East and West would continue.

"We have two schools trying to outdo each other. They are competitive from the classroom to the basketball court. Trying to outdo each other only makes them both better," she said.

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