Fleming explains changes

Belpre parents ask questions, learn what will affect their children

By JOLENE CRAIG, jcraig@newsandsentinel.com
BELPRE — About 75 parents of students in the Belpre City School District attended a meeting Thursday night to better understand the proposed reorganization of the schools.

Superintendent Harry Fleming said the meeting went well as parents asked questions and learned more about changes that will affect their children.

“We are all here for the same reason — to figure out what is best for the kids in every school,” Fleming said.

The proposed changes are to consolidate grades kindergarten through sixth at Belpre Middle School and seventh through twelfth grades at the Belpre High School campus.

Parent Danielle Moore asked why have the division of students at those grade levels.

Fleming explained the division is because the state certification for teachers is seventh through twelfth for specified subjects.

“It’s only by combining those grades that we are able to cut the teachers and staff to reach our goal,” he said.

The district is expecting to save $500,000 in the coming year with these changes, which are needed to keep the district from operating in the red in the coming years, officials said.

During the board meeting Monday, it was said the district will be operating in a more than $2.9 million deficit in five years if nothing is done to save operating money.

“The district is on a spending pattern to be out of money in 18 months,” Fleming said. “We need to do something.”

Most of the savings will be made in staff cuts as well as operational cuts for the possible closure of one building, Fleming said.

The elimination of several teachers as well as custodians and other staff could equal 70 percent of the projected savings.

Moore said she was worried about seventh- and eighth-grade girls being in the same building as senior boys.

“The older students will have very little contact with the younger students,” Fleming said.

It was explained the seventh- and eighth-grade students will only be in the high school if a teacher escorts them to use a computer or science lab or if individual students are requested to take advanced high school classes by their parents.

“The seventh- and eighth-graders will be in Belpre Elementary School and Lawton (Building) most of the time,” Fleming said.

Activities such as pep rallies and dances will be separate for the higher grades.

Fleming said there may be more meetings as parents request them.

Fleming said the failure of the five-year temporary 3.6 mills permanent improvement levy earlier this month was not the final factor to lead to the reorganization.

“A permanent improvement levy won’t fix the problem because it can only be used to fix physical problems,” Fleming said Monday. “It would have helped, but not enough.”