CLEARFIELD – After Monday night’s special meeting, the Clearfield Area School District Board of Directors decided that they cannot rush a decision regarding its feasibility study.
“I think that we’re pretty much on the same page,” superintendent Dr. Richard C. Makin said, adding that the district’s options should be further explored.
Resident Dr. Michael Spencer questioned the board about the feasibility study advisory committee’s recommendation to the district.
Under the current recommendation, the middle school would close its doors. The high school would undergo an expansion to add a seventh and eighth grade wing. All of the district’s elementary schools would remain open.
“I don’t think that that you have all of the information to make a decision. I think that you need additional information unless you’ve gotten it just recently,” he said.
Spencer said the board has “thrown around” a $45 million figure that is for the construction and renovation costs. He said that they should be knowledgeable of the “total costs” before pursuing any option.
Spencer said he’d read that the project would add five mills to the budget. He said he didn’t believe that the community could afford for the increase.
According to him, the board should consider the current recommendation’s effects on other issues, such as the student enrollment, class size and the buildings’ accommodations.
“Has the class sizes been projected for future years? You say that the class size will be 22 – 25 students. But what happens ii you have 26, 27, 28 students,” he asked.
“Have you already decided which 100 students will be relocated to a new elementary school? As most of you who have been on the board a while know, the parents have had issues with the bus routes and transportation in the past.”
Spencer also inquired about the high school’s ability to adequately hold the seventh and eighth grade students if the district pursued the option on the table.
“Will they be completely separated,” he asked.
He said that he hadn’t heard any discussion about the plans for the current high school cafeteria and physical education area. He asked if it could accommodate the additional students.
“The high school currently starts serving lunches at 10:30 a.m. Will they go back to overlapping lunches,” Spencer asked. He said that the board must cover all of its bases.
Board vice president Dave Glass said that every point Spencer made was valid and an item of further discussion.
“If this isn’t the best option, I’d like to hear other options,” he said.
Like his colleague, Makin also thought that Spencer brought important factors to the table. He said that he had his own list of questions, and it was parallel to that of Spencer.
Jeff Kavelak, who was on the feasibility study advisory committee, inquired about how much time the board had, before it must make a decision.
Solicitor Aimee Willett said the current feasibility study outcome can be used for two years, before it would need amended again.
“I don’t think that we have any need to rush things,” board member Larry Putt said. He said they must look at their options closely for the community.
Click here to read previous feasibility study discussion.