Funds May Assist WPHS Science Dept.
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WHEELING -- After voters approved a $19 million excess levy for Ohio County Schools earlier this month, Assistant Superintendent Rick Jones offered insight into ongoing renovation work in several school buildings.
At the top of the list, Jones discussed relocating several science classrooms at Wheeling Park High School to one central area -- a move which would be an undertaking due to the lab equipment the classes would need.
"We can renovate the science department and stay within budget … which is (to) move some classes four or five (rooms) up to that area, and create a true science department," Jones said. "If we do that, there are a lot of advantages -- number one, they're all together, so kids know where they're going, the collaboration that will occur would be great, not to mention the storage of all the equipment could stay all together, as well as sharing of different rooms and the advantages that would bring."
Jones said, however, that the obvious downside of such a restructuring would be the cost. Jones said a committee discussed the pros and cons of the move. While there were no concrete numbers or estimates of costs, he said a preliminary assessment would see the project approach $1 million, "to do it the right way."
"This will, of course, cost us money, so this committee, we walked through … all the different options we had. The committee was pretty adamant and pretty unanimous in that this is pretty much our top priority, as far as Wheeling Park goes," Jones said. "They view this as the most important thing we're doing up there … and they all said they want us to do whatever we can to make this right."
The committee met with numerous people, including board member Christine Carder, staff and faculty members, teachers and students to weigh in on the matter.
Carder pointed out that, with a few exceptions, any class could go into any room, but that science classes require lab equipment and other utilities, which make them inflexible in their placement.
"We can take any room that has a whiteboard and make it any subject -- with the exception of science," she said. "They need their lab. They need to have the setup. … It is a big ask."
"We can take a couple of the math rooms that are right in that same hallway and convert them to science," Jones said. "Those math rooms, we can put those anywhere. You can't put science anywhere. It's the optimal situation to have them all together, if possible."
Jones said that while the board members weren't being asked to make a decision on the matter Monday night, when the time comes he would like them to consider that other bond projects had come in under budget.
"We were going to spend $600,000 at Triadelphia (Middle School) on HVAC, and we've figured out a way to figure out how to not need to do that anymore, so we're back under budget," Jones said. "It's not money that's just sitting there, but philosophically, it's money that we were going to spend and decided not to, so we have -- theoretically -- some extra money."
Jones added that the district also had received $150,000 in various rebates and savings in other areas.
"We're hoping that continues to be the case, but as we earmark those savings, maybe put them towards making that science department as best it can be," he suggested.
Before the board's official business was discussed, a brief moment of silence was observed in memory of two people killed over the weekend in a car crash. Sierra Matson was a Woodsdale Elementary School teacher and Caleb Ratcliffe was the son of a school district employee. Matson and Ratcliffe were among five people who died late Saturday in a head-on collision on Ohio 7 near Yorkville. Matson was a passenger in a car driven by Ratcliffe, which was going the wrong way on the divided highway, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.