The $2.5 million construction project, which began in April of this year, at the district’s grades 2-12 school on Yankee Road, is an unusual but necessary move to provide more learning spaces for students in the fast-growing Butler County school system, said Monroe Schools Superintendent Robert Buskirk.
“We couldn’t be more excited to share the news about the completion of our eight-classroom addition on the main campus. This new space will be immediately beneficial, providing some much-needed room and relief from overcrowding as we continue planning for the new high school,” said Buskirk, referring to the coming construction on the same campus of a $62 million high school, also designed to help better accommodate Monroe Schools’ growing enrollment.
“The success of this project is a testament to our board of education’s commitment—they are not only supportive of our students but also fiscally responsible, allowing us to fund this important project without requesting additional tax dollars,” he said.
The gym-to-classrooms conversion included transforming a 4,000-square-foot junior high auxiliary gymnasium into two floors with 8,000 square feet of new space. That includes eight new classrooms (two of which can be combined via foldable partition), two new meeting/small group rooms and a new staff office.
The Journal-News received an exclusive tour of the new learning spaces, which open on Jan. 6 after Monroe’s winter break. The classrooms will accommodate about 240 students, said school officials.
Stephanie Decker is a veteran eighth-grade English language arts teacher at Monroe Junior High School and will soon begin teaching in the new wing.
“Our district has been steadily growing and the new learning spaces could not have come at a better time,” said Decker.
“The additional classrooms and small group instructional spaces give our teachers and students room to learn, collaborate and thrive. Teachers moving into the new classrooms have already received training on the new Clever Touch Technology (interactive touch boards), which will open the door to more engaging, interactive lessons and small group opportunities.”
“This is an exciting step forward for our school and our community,” said Decker.
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