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Ohio County Schools Discuss Framework for $86M Upgrades

Parents learn about plans for facilities

Photos by Joselyn King The public turns out for an information session Tuesday night hosted by Ohio County Schools explaining a county-wide building upgrade projects and an upcoming school bond issue.

WHEELING — The days of expansive libraries and computer labs in high schools are going the way of encyclopedias and manual typewriters — and being replaced with “fab labs” and “maker spaces” where students collaborate to create, Ohio County residents learned Tuesday.

Ohio County Schools officials hosted an informational meeting to tell the public their plans for major upgrades to all buildings in the district, an expected bond issue to pay for the work and their ideas for bringing the county’s school system into the 21st century.

The cost of overhauling Ohio County’s school properties has been estimated at about $86 million, with voters being asked to foot half the bill at $43 million.

But Assistant Superintendent Rick Jones said school officials this week would be sharpening their pencils to reduce the cost and the price tag for taxpayers.

They already have scratched plans to put full kitchens in every school building, and are looking at additional ways to curtail energy costs through the renovations.

Jones and Superintendent Kim Miller will meet with project engineers McKinley and Associates this week to nail down final details and costs, and board of education members are set to meet at 6 p.m. Monday to examine and prioritize the final list of projects.

The board then will meet at 11 a.m. Jan. 26 for a presentation of the needed finances and expected bond rates from an accounting firm.

Members have a goal of approving the bond issue language at their next regular meeting, set for 6 p.m. Feb. 8. All of the meetings will take place at the board office, 2203 National Road, Wheeling.

Jones said when school officials first sat down to discuss plans for needed upgrades, Alan Vezzi, a representative from their heating and air conditioning contractor, Siemens, stepped forward. Vezzi is school board president in South Fayette, Pa., near Pittsburgh, where South Fayette High School has become internationally recognized for its technology education and upgrades.

The school receives funding from donors such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on the condition it advise other schools on how to upgrade their technology. It wants to “adopt” Ohio County Schools, according to Jones.

Representatives from Ohio County Schools had the opportunity to tour South Fayette High School, and had a bit of culture shock, according to Jones.

The former school library had been removed and replaced with a “maker space” that looked like a modern coffee bar — with plenty of tables for students to gather, and with electrical outlets for them to charge their laptop computers.

There is no need for many books or much library space at the school, as most information is now online — and all South Fayette students are given their own computers, according to Jones.

The one-to-one computer initiative also eliminates the need for computer labs.

Students at the school are so skilled in technology and working together on projects that they created their own classroom security system with keycard entry, he said.

Ohio County Schools officials had hoped to convene Monday’s meeting at Wheeling Park High School, where they planned to take the public on a tour, show current labs and computer rooms and detail plans for upgrades. Due to weather, the meeting instead took place at the board office.

Upgrades slated for WPHS include expanding the front entrance to provide for additional security measures, and the construction of a stairwell creating direct access to the current media center at the school.

The 2,000-square-foot media center is larger than some schools, and the space could be used more effectively to create areas for student technology and learning, Jones said.

Turning the current wrestling room into a music room also is being considered, as is moving vice principals’ offices to the second floor.

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