In with the new: Stow, Munroe Falls residents embrace proposal to replace aging schools

Residents of Stow and Munroe Falls would rather scrap and replace many of their current school buildings than renovate those facilities at a modestly lower cost, according to feedback the district has collected so far.

During a public forum Thursday at Kimpton Middle School, the Stow-Munroe Falls City School district received positive responses to proposals to:

• Build a total of four new elementary schools to replace the current six.

• Construct a new middle school at the current site shared by Highland Elementary and Lakeview Intermediate schools.

• Place new elementary buildings at the current sites of Kimpton Middle and Fishcreek and Woodland elementary as well as on district-owned property on Housley Road.

Feedback from Thursday's forum — along with another public meeting this week and community surveys — will help the district to finalize its master plan for facilities ahead of an opportunity to put a bond issue on the November ballot.

Confronting outdated buildings in Stow-Munroe Falls district

The district has been working on various school facilities plans for several years, said Kristen Prough, interim superintendent. Its newest elementary school, Indian Trail, was built in 1969 — and its oldest, Highland Elementary, was constructed in 1936.

"Every single elementary school needs roofs," Prough said. "I think every elementary has had an issue with the boilers. It's a costly thing to maintain nine buildings."

Currently, the district has its high school , a middle school for seventh and eighth grades, an intermediate school for fifth and sixth grades; and six elementary schools for kindergarten through fourth grades. Indian Trail Elementary also has a pre-kindergarten program.

Another issue with the older schools is incorporating today's technology into buildings constructed more than 50 years ago, Prough said.

"The reason why we have our students take their Chromebooks home with them is because we don't have the technology to plug them all in," she said.

Prough said a question she often gets is why not renovate the current elementary, intermediate and middle schools.

"The cost to renovate them is $141 million," she said. "To replace them would cost $170 million. Also, renovating some of the buildings might not be viable."

Scott Campbell, the district's director of operations, said the student population has been stable but is projected to grow.

"We are outgrowing these facilities," Campbell said. "We are not having an issue with enrollment. This is a great place to live, but when you see our elementary schools, you see a different picture. We have modular units behind three of them."

With the construction and remapping the district, school transportation could become more efficient, Campbell said. For example, he said, there are currently students living in the Wyoga Lake area in the district's northwest section who travel roughly five miles to go to Indian Trail in the heart of the school system.

The proposals include how many, where to build elementary schools

Residents who attended the school facilities forum were given the opportunity to submit their preference from among three proposals for the district.

Each plan includes the construction of a new middle school for the district's sixth- through eighth-grade students and a future phase of renovations for the high school, which opened in 1987. One plan calls for the construction of two pre-K through fifth-grade buildings, which Prough said is the most economical path. The second plan calls for building three new elementary schools, and the third plan — so far the public's clear favorite — calls for constructing four elementaries.

Another area residents were asked to give feedback on was where to construct the new schools. The options included locations of existing elementary, intermediate and middle schools plus two other parcels of district-owned land.

Background: Stow district considering plans to build new elementary schools, renovate high school

Residents also were encouraged to provide feedback on school features that would be locally funded, Prough said. The district has been working with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission on its building plans. The state will refund the district 27% of the cost of constructing the new buildings. Not all aspects, however, are covered by the state; anything the community would want in addition, such as auditoriums, would need to be funded locally.

Residents pleased 'to have a voice' in school plan

More than 90 people came to the Thursday evening forum, with a wide cross-section of ages. Many of those attending were parents, with some bringing their children.

One resident, John Schinker, said he had come out to learn more about the district's proposals.

"I was just interested at what the school district was doing," Schinker said. "I know they need new facilities."

Jason Arch, whose daughter Loraine, 8, is a student at Woodland Elementary, said he wanted to express his opinions on the future of the schools.

"I wanted to have a voice in what they are doing," Arch said, adding that he would like to see updated improvements all around, and not buildings that were from the 1960s."

The second forum will take place at 6 p.m. Thursday at Kimpton Middle School, 380 North River Road in Munroe Falls.

According to information from the district, the facilities committee will regroup to analyze the feedback it received and discuss financing options. By March, the committee will determine a final master plan for the district, financing and details about what it wants to place on the November ballot. These plans will be finalized by April, and an agreement given to the Board of Education by May for its final approval.

Reporter April Helms can be reached at ahelms@thebeaconjournal.com

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Proposal for new schools pleases Stow-Munroe Falls district residents