 "Photo: www.talawanda.net")
In a meeting Wednesday, the Talawanda Board of Education met with parents to discuss the possible relocation of the Talawanda School District, as the district considers rearranging the location for the elementary and high school students.
The Talawanda Board of Education has been looking at closing Kramer Elementary School, and moving the students to a newly renovated Talawanda High School, while relocating the high school students to a new building near the middle school.
Holli Morrish, Talawanda School District coordinator of community development and community relations, said several Kramer Elementary classes are presently utilizing mobile classrooms to house students. She said renovations are not feasible due to structural concerns, because of the inability to provide adequate heating and air conditioning. Therefore, the next stage would be to close Kramer Elementary and either rebuild the building in the present location, or to move the location of the elementary school to another building.
"While rebuilding Kramer Elementary would be the next stage of the Talawanda school board's plan, the ultimate goal of the plan calls for a construction of a new high school," Morrish said. "However, we have a group of parents who brought a prioritized list to the meeting on Wednesday night, stating that they wish to encourage board members to make rebuilding the high school their first priority in the plan."
Morrish said that Talawanda High School is lacking the science and technological resources the facility needs to further the curriculum, in order to keep up with competing school districts.
"Because it was built in 1956, the high school was given a certain electrical capacity," Morrish said. "And obviously as technology has progressed over the years, the electrical capacity necessary to function normally has increased as well."
According to Talawanda School Board President Mark Butterfield, the old age of the high school is unable to provide its students with certain resources, such as designated computer labs, because its structure lacks the equipment.
However, while Talawanda High School may not have the facilities and equipment necessary to offer particular classes to high school students, the Talawanda
High School building may be the answer to the Kramer Elementary situation, according to Butterfield.
"While the science labs and other technological facilities are not set up for high school level students, Talawanda High School would actually be an advancement in facilities for the elementary school-age children," Butterfield said.
Because the high school facility was built to hold close to 1,200 students, the building would be able to hold not only the entire student body of Kramer Elementary, but also possibly the offices of the board of education, keeping similar functions under the same roof.
Plans were implemented for rearrangement of the Talawanda School District in 2001, in effort to help guide the future of the districts' facilities.
According to Morrish, further changes involved moving the Kramer Elementary to a new building, which opened in August 2006 on State Route 177. This provided Oxford once again, with three elementary schools - Bogan, Kramer, and Marshall - all of which are feeder schools for Talawanda Middle School.
Morrish said that for the past several years the plan has been executed in stages, starting with the closure of Stewart Elementary School in 2003, once located in the current Stewart Square lot.
However, Oxford Vice Mayor Prue Dana said while the board members and community have come to the conclusion that a decision on rebuilding of Kramer
Elementary must be reached, there has been some argument within the community as to where the new building should be located.
"Many Oxford parents believe that due to its safe location and the easy walking distance from all over Oxford, Kramer Elementary should remain in its present location," Dana said. "However, other parents believe that by moving the elementary school to a newly renovated Talawanda High School, the community would save more money."
Rebecca Balish, Miami University visiting assistant professor of microbiology and parent of a Kramer Elementary student, said she is in favor of keeping Kramer Elementary where it currently is.
"I would love to see Kramer Elementary stay in its present
location," Balish said. "I love the interaction between the university students and the younger kids, and I am afraid that moving the location of the school might inhibit this interaction."
Although a deadline for a decision on Kramer Elementary has yet to be determined, the board must make a decision by mid-August in order to include the plan on the November ballot.
