Spring Break
Talawanda board continues school relocation debate
Paige Sims
Issue date: 3/2/07 Section: Community
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The Talawanda Board of Education has been looking at closing Kramer Elementary School, and moving the students to a newly renovated Talawanda High School, while relocating the high school students to a new building near the middle school.
Holli Morrish, Talawanda School District coordinator of community development and community relations, said several Kramer Elementary classes are presently utilizing mobile classrooms to house students. She said renovations are not feasible due to structural concerns, because of the inability to provide adequate heating and air conditioning. Therefore, the next stage would be to close Kramer Elementary and either rebuild the building in the present location, or to move the location of the elementary school to another building.
"While rebuilding Kramer Elementary would be the next stage of the Talawanda school board's plan, the ultimate goal of the plan calls for a construction of a new high school," Morrish said. "However, we have a group of parents who brought a prioritized list to the meeting on Wednesday night, stating that they wish to encourage board members to make rebuilding the high school their first priority in the plan."
Morrish said that Talawanda High School is lacking the science and technological resources the facility needs to further the curriculum, in order to keep up with competing school districts.
"Because it was built in 1956, the high school was given a certain electrical capacity," Morrish said. "And obviously as technology has progressed over the years, the electrical capacity necessary to function normally has increased as well."
According to Talawanda School Board President Mark Butterfield, the old age of the high school is unable to provide its students with certain resources, such as designated computer labs, because its structure lacks the equipment.
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