Opinions about facilities welcome at Owen J. Roberts town hall meeting - Daily Local News 01/26/2011

The Daily Local (dailylocal.com), Serving Chester County, PA


Opinions about facilities welcome at Owen J. Roberts town hall meeting
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
By Laura Catalano, Special to the Local News

SOUTH COVENTRY— Owen J. Roberts School District residents will have a chance to voice opinions on the future of district facilities at a town hall meeting this week.

The meeting, set for 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at the high school, will focus on a feasibility study being undertaken by the district. Participants will learn about that study, now in its early stages, and work in small groups to provide feedback that will help guide the study.

The district is required by the state to conduct a feasibility study to "gather, analyze and explore various ideas to accommodate future enrollment projections and 21st Century learning opportunities," a district news release says.

At the town hall meeting, people will gather in small groups to discuss how facilities relate to education, community/school partnerships and quality of life. The district hopes not only to consider how its buildings relate to education of students in grades k-12, but also how they might be used by the community for lifelong education programs and recreation.

"We're looking at education, facilities and property as we try to plan out the next 10-15 years of education in this community," explained district Wellness Coordinator Jo-an Rechtin. "We want to create a plan to provide a great education, and while we're at it, determine if there are community needs we can address at the same time."

The feasibility study is being led by Jeffrey D. Chambers, of Chambers & Associates, Inc. He will be working with a steering committee composed of school board members, school personnel, township supervisors, parents and other residents.

They will look at existing facilities, educational needs and enrollment projections to formulate a list of options and make recommendations to the school board by early June. Part of that process involves gathering community input.

"We're hoping for a lot of participation," Rechtin said of the town hall meeting. "This really is an opportunity for our community to enter into the future and talk amongst one another about how that might look."

The district currently has five elementary schools, as well as a recently renovated middle school and a high school building. The feasibility study will examine each of those facilities to determine what is needed for the future.

The committee will also consider how enrollments will impact school use. Recent enrollment projections indicate that elementary attendance boundaries may need to be modified to address enrollment discrepancies, with East Coventry Elementary School already over its 550-student capacity, while French Creek is expected to remain more than 100 students shy of its 650-student capacity.

But the committee won't only be looking at buildings. It will address district property needs as well.

In December, the school board approved the purchase of a 52-acre tract of land abutting the East Coventry Elementary School property, and the committee is expected to come up with a recommendation on how that property should be used.

While district officials have no immediate plans for the property, one option they are considering is partnering with the township or a community group to develop a blended-use park or other shared facility.

Residents attending the town hall will have the opportunity to weigh in on how communities and schools can work together toward lifelong learning opportunities that could include such things as community gardens, libraries and shared parks.

"There are a lot of different ways to look at how a school district and community interact," said Rechtin. "We've had a lot of feedback from surveys that education is important and related to quality of life. Our facilities can be used for adult education and recreation opportunities that go above and beyond what our children need."

The meeting will also have an electronic component, so that participants can answer questions electronically at various points during the meeting.

After the town hall, residents will still have an opportunity to offer input on the feasibility study through an online survey that will be made available on the district's website at www.ojrsd.com.

Residents can also log comments on the OJR forum page found under the community tab on the district website or by going to http://ojrforum.ojrsd.com.

Another opportunity for the community to comment on the feasibility study options as they are being formulated will be held on a meeting set for April 19.


URL: http://www.dailylocal.com/articles/2011/01/26/news/srv0000010738607.prt
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