Redistricting students is likely this fall, when the new Ehrman Crest Elementary and Middle School opens and Evans City Elementary and Middle School closes.
Jeremy Beatty of Eckles Architecture and Engineering gave the Seneca Valley School Board an update on the feasibility study the firm has been working on in the district.
The study will determine the physical condition of all district schools and their systems, evaluate learning environments, consider enrollment projections, determine each building’s capability to accommodate the growth the district is experiencing and anticipating, and develop options to address the district’s physical, educational and capacity needs.
Sean McCarty, assistant superintendent of elementary education, said the school board would be presented with options at its April meeting regarding deciding which schools elementary students throughout the district will attend in the fall.
Superintendent Tracy Vitale said in redistricting students, district officials will try to minimize the impact on students and avoid moving them between schools frequently as they progress from grade to grade.
She said fewer than 200 students would likely be impacted.
Vitale reminded the board that Seneca Valley is one of just a few districts throughout the state with increasing enrollment.
“The growth is manageable,” Vitale said.
McCarty said all elementary schools are now at capacity, as Ehrman Crest will be in the fall when it opens.
He said that situation is preventing the district from offering full-day kindergarten in the fall.
Beatty said part of the feasibility study was looking at all buildings to determine whether they should be expanded to accommodate the district’s increasing enrollment, which is mainly in the elementary grades.
In answering a question by board member James Nickel, Vitale said all information on redistricting will be shared with the public so parents will know which school their students will attend in the fall and moving forward.
“We are going to make sure we keep everyone informed on what we are doing and why we are doing it,” said Eric DiTullio, school board president.
McCarty said the district will use a portion of its federal funds in the fall to offer extended-day kindergarten to provide extra support for students who receive free and reduced lunches, are economically disadvantaged, are in a foster program or on the list of homeless students, and other students in need.
McCarty said the program will level the academic playing field so all students are ready to succeed as they move through the district in the future.
He expects about 150 students to utilize the new program, which will be carried out in all elementary buildings.
