The Adobe Flash Player is required to view this multimedia interactive. Get it here.

Edgewood to close elementary at end of school year

Lakota to discuss open enrollment proposal
Updated 11 min. ago
Beach Waterpark sued for failure to deliver
Updated 16 min. ago
Coroner called to Caesar Creek Lake where boater fell overboard
Updated 29 min. ago
Road closing for railroad repairs
11:51 a.m.
Worker falls 20 feet from utility pole
11:14 a.m.
> More headlines

By Richard O Jones, Staff Writer Updated 9:02 PM Tuesday, February 7, 2012

TRENTON — The Edgewood City School District plans to close Bloomfield Elementary School and keep Seven Mile Elementary School open, tentatively housing grades K-5.

The decision Monday night follows two community forums the board of education held to receive input on building reconfigurations upon the completion of the new high school because the district’s enrollment projections made at the beginning of the construction have fallen short of actual enrollment and subsequent projections.

The closing will take effect at the end of the school year.

Prior to the passage of the bond issue in February 2009, the district had plans to have a building alignment using all of the districts existing buildings in addition to the new high school. But with 456 fewer students than projected, to continue with the original plan did not appear to be the best decision, according to district spokesman John Thomas.

Because of its age and deteriorating condition, keeping Bloomfield open was not a part of any of the five plans under consideration, four recommended by a faculty committee and one submitted by a citizen group Save Our Schools, which was lobbying to keep Seven Mile open. Three of the options would have students distributed among four buildings. Two of the options included some population remaining at Seven Mile.

The Save Our Schools plan recommended keeping Seven Mile open for grades K-2, but board President Amy Ashcraft said that would use only a small portion of the building.

“We didn’t feel any of the options would be beneficial to the district,” she said.

The board decided to honor the Seven Mile group’s concerns, among them the detrimental effects of long bus rides to Trenton should the school be closed, but felt that more of the building should be used.

Monday’s vote, Ashcraft said, was simply to keep Seven Mile Elementary open, and the board instructed the administration to determine whether it would be feasible to house grades K-5 there.

The administration will make its report at the next regular school board meeting on Feb. 27.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2188 or rjones@coxohio.com.

Share this article