Karns City board eyes consolidation
KARNS CITY — Some people go out to dinner on Friday evening, but Karns City School District leaders spent that time considering the future of the district.
School officials and residents at a special meeting Friday night discussed the possible consolidation of schools due to declining student enrollment.
Suggested plans revolved around having all students on one campus, either by converting the high school into a kindergarten through 12th grade building or building a second school on the high school campus.
Such a plan, if implemented, would not happen for at least three years.
“The issue is the declining population,” said Eric Ritzert, superintendent. “We have to look at what is the best option based on the data we have that is affordable for the taxpayer.”
The district has three schools: Karns City High School, Chicora Elementary and Sugarcreek Elementary. The district in 2012 closed Bruin Elementary, and that building is for sale.
In the past 15 years, the high school population has decreased by 25 percent, from about 1,000 students in grades seven through 12 in 2000 to about 750 students now. The decline in student population is expected to continue.
Ritzert said, “Sugarcreek is a good school, it's a good location, but it's the smallest remaining building. It's going to get to the point where operating it in conjunction with the two other schools doesn't make fiscal sense.
“We're not there yet. I would say we're several years down the road from that, but it will happen.”
With a single campus, some school board members explained, more activities and services can be streamlined, such as staffing and busing, while also making improvements academically.
Ed Conto, assistant principal at the high school, said the high school should be renovated with the community in mind as well as students.“I believe Karns City is the hub of this whole district,” he said. “We don't have a YMCA. We have little fire departments, a couple communities going, but really, we are the hub. And we really need to have a facility, I feel, that will help youth, school-aged children, young adults and senior citizens. We can benefit the whole community.”Meanwhile, Emily Schumacher, who graduated from Karns City last year, suggested making improvements that can pay off in the long term, such as using renewable energy and finding ways to recoup costs from building renovations.PNC Bank representatives also met with the group to review bond possibilities. They suggested three 30-year bond options at $9 million, $30 million and $60 million. Any project costing more than $8 million would have an impact on the district's budget.Larry Henry, former superintendent, shared an insight about paying for any project.“If you can, don't finance it for more than 20 years,” he said. “You can see, we're 20 years away from our last building project, and it's time to do another one.“Go 30 years, this is just my personal belief — those last 10 years you're paying for a project that's outdated.”
