Projects, restructuring discussed at work session

• District 518

District 518

Talk about it

WORTHINGTON — School board members and other district staff continued discussion Tuesday about how to handle increasing enrollment at Prairie Elementary, including a proposition to move fifth-graders to the middle school.

They said housing fifth grade students in the same building as eighth-graders has already raised parental concerns.

“There is a way to isolate and balance those kinds of things to make that work,” said Board Member Steve Schnieder.

“The middle school would probably have to look more like a fifth and sixth grade team and a seventh and eighth grade team,” explained Prairie Elementary Assistant Principal Josh Noble.

How the district responds to expanding kindergarten sizes —which will likely affect the entire district as large classes move from grade level to grade level —depends largely on whether the increases are an isolated trend.

“Is a 200-kid kindergarten class going to be the exception or the norm?” asked member Bob Jirele. “We don’t want to have a knee-jerk reaction.”

Jerry Fiola, director of Community Education, said it is unlikely enrollment will drop to pre-increase numbers, particularly due to increasing immigrant populations in the area.

Landgaard said the move might provide more opportunities for fifth graders because a period-based schedule would eliminate the need to leave class for extra activities such as band.

“Their days are so chopped up now,” he said.

Board members emphasized the need to bring several options to the community and solicit feedback from area residents.

And even though it would be a few years before the potential “move” would happen, the board said they’re trying to be proactive.

“It’s better for us to be looking at the problem now than waiting until the problem’s knocking on our door and we don’t have time to react,” said Schnieder.

In other business Tuesday, attendees:

- Reviewed a report by Johnson Control, estimating costs for upcoming building and maintenance projects. Landgaard said he will seek price estimates from other companies and will work with district administrators to prioritize projects.

- Continued discussion about what to do with unused high school tennis courts. Turning the courts into a parking lot or green space were among the options proposed.

- Discussed the possible hiring of a grade 7-12 activities director and additional staff at the elementary and high school level, and the reduction of staff at the middle school and alternative learning center.

Tags: news, prairieelementary, district518boardofeducation, worthington, district518