During their October 26th legislative meeting, the Quaker Valley School Board authorized the administration to lease Anthony Wayne Elementary School from the Ambridge School District for the 2011-2012 school year. The costs will be $4,000 per month plus actual costs of utilities and services such as trash removal. The funds will be taken from the 2010 bond issue proceeds.
School board president Jack Norris said, “We found Anthony Wayne to be an excellent choice when we housed Edgeworth and then Osborne students during the renovations of the elementary schools. We have every confidence that the administration and staff will make the one-year stay at Anthony Wayne as successful and enjoyable a year as each of the elementary schools experienced.
The school district explored several sites including Moon School District buildings and Mt. Galitzin. After visits and analysis by district administration as well as middle school administrators and some middle school staff, the Anthony Wayne site was selected as the best choice to house the students in grades seven and eight during the renovation of the middle school. The renovation is scheduled to start when school closes in 2011 and be completed in time for the opening of the 2012-2013 school year.
The district is still reviewing the needs and some co-curricular activity options, but the district’s analysis has revealed that the seventh and eighth grade instructional program fits in the building. The tentative plan for sixth grade students is to house them together at one of the elementary buildings. In order to make the space for sixth grade curriculum, all the district’s kindergarten students would be housed at the other elementary school during the renovation, which is exactly what was done during the elementary school renovations. The final plans with regard to the delivery of curriculum, co-curricular activities, relocation of students in grades kindergarten and sixth through eighth will be announced after the final decisions and plans are in place.
Superintendent Joseph H. Clapper explained, “Recognizing that housing middle school students and their program is different from that of elementary students, the administration and staff continue to make plans to accommodate the middle school curricular and co-curricular needs for 2011-12. We expect to be able to announce most of those details by the end of next month.”
