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BELMONT -- The Union Local Board of Education is planning for some big investments in buildings, grounds and curriculum beginning next school year.
One of the board members' topics Thursday was the aging facilities. Board member Terry Puperi said the district had been considering a facilities plan before the COVID-19 pandemic's onset in 2020. Superintendent Zac Shutler said these plans have since resumed.
"We've been meeting weekly with the board committee and architects and some educational and design consultants to see what we can do to improve our facilities. I think we have some exciting designs that we're working on, and we're looking forward to presenting those to the public in short order," Shutler said.
He said the primary needs include improvements to the entrances, from both aesthetic and security standpoints.
"I feel like security is paramount," Shutler said. "At the elementary school, I think anyone who has a child down there knows the parking situation in the morning arrival situation can be improved. We're looking at redesigning the parking area and the flow of traffic. That will be a big part of the project."
Another priority will be updating the furniture and technology in the classrooms.
"The biggest piece is updating our athletic facilities. Our facilities were at one time excellent. Age and time can take its toll. We're excited for that piece, too," he said.
The plans may be presented to the public in June.
"We're really looking forward to unveiling those plans to the public and discussing the need," Shutler said.
He said costs are to be determined, and the district likely will place a bond issue on the ballot during the general election Nov. 7.
"We're finalizing those plans, and we're excited to present it to the local taxpayers. I know that our local taxpayers support education. They've supported Union Local and they've always been there for us when we've needed them, and we're getting really close to asking for their help."
Also, the district is restructuring the curriculum from the ground up. The board approved entering a contract with the Success for All Curriculum for the next three years at a total cost of $519,589, with $227,900 of the costs related to professional development.
It will take effect next year.
"It's a big commitment to our students' future and giving our teachers the tools they need," Shutler said. "We've not performed as we like. Really it's not about where we rank on the state tests, it's about producing great outcomes for our students. Our teachers are doing a great job, but when it came to curriculum adoption we felt we needed something that uniformed things."
Curriculum Director Jennifer Wooding said the curriculum will cover pre-kindergarteners through eighth-graders and will include support to coach and train staff. Coaches will come into the buildings two to four times a month to assist in implementing the program.
"It's a schoolwide reform effort that is comprehensive, so much different than a take-it-off-the-shelf program," she said.
"Cooperative learning is the big instructional strategy that's used in Success for All. That's going to change the way things look in our classrooms. That's going to change the way teachers are teaching," she said. "That's going to be a student-centered approach where kids are interacting. They're working in small groups, they're asking questions of one another, they're responding to their peers and they're working together."
She said there will also be a focus on social and emotional learning for students. She added that the learning and lives of many young people were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and associated cancellations and distance learning.
"Teachers are going to be able to help students understand the expectations in the classroom, making sure that they have the support that they need to deal with the things that they are dealing with, respond appropriately and make good choices."
Puperi said structure and consistency would be a significant benefit.
"It's one thing I felt we didn't have. We had a hodgepodge of academic plots if you will, and with this, everyone's going to do the same types of learning with the same types of material. One of the biggest problems I saw was the transition from a fifth-grader to a sixth-grader and an eighth-grader to a ninth-grader. They lose a lot because of that. Not only going to a different building, a different class of students so to speak, but educationally they're losing some because education is different currently from what they're doing in middle school, and middle school to high school. But now we have a smooth path," Puperi said, adding the curriculum eventually will move into the high school.
Puperi said the cost of a curriculum year is normally $100,000-$200,000, but Wooding said this is a schoolwide reform.
"It's a little more, but I think we're getting a lot more," Puperi said. "On paper it's very expensive compared to last year's curriculum expenses, but ... what you're doing with last year's, we're comparing apples to oranges.
"Yes, we have to keep an eye on our finances and where we spend the money at, but in my mind, if we spend money on a piece of curriculum that's not going to help our students, then it's worthless," he said. "Our job is to turn out students that are ready for college and/or the workforce."
In other matters, a special meeting was set for 8 a.m. Wednesday at the district campus to finalize the school calendar.