Will this be the last senior class ever to go through Sheffield High School if voters keep the current school board of directors intact?
Has the decision already been made to close Eisenhower?
Will the school district switch from a four high school to a two high school format in the near future?
None of these questions have been answered, according to Warren County School Board President Kim Angove.
"It is apparent that there are some seriously inaccurate and false statements being distributed to the public," Angove said.
On Monday, Angove said she was prompted to issue an official statement on behalf of the school board after reading a recent article in the Times Observer that included interviews from three write-in candidates for school board seats in Regions I and II.
In the article, write-in candidate Mary Anne Paris said she was "blown away" when she learned at a town meeting on Oct. 12 that there was a possibility this year's senior class could be the last at Sheffield High School.
"The board has not discussed plans to move Sheffield's or any other high school's students in the near future," Angove wrote in an email to the Times Observer. "The board has not made a decision regarding the high school configuration."
Angove wrote that over the past several weeks, many school district residents have received literature and information regarding the High School Feasibility Study.
"The board would like to clarify and provide the following facts," Angove wrote.
"There has been no decision made regarding specifics of where northern attendance students will attend with respect to the two high school scenarios. There has been no decision made on how the determination for two or four high schools will be made. There are pros and cons for all of the scenarios under consideration. The school board encourages all citizens to attend the community dialogue (meeting) to receive the factual data associated with all the proposed scenarios."
The school district is scheduled to host a community dialogue meeting at the Warren Area High School on Nov. 10 at 6:30 p.m.
The following is a summary of the high school feasibility study created by DeJong, a consulting firm hired by the school district.
DeJong's draft study outlined 11 options for two high schools. The board requested further analysis on two options, to be able to compare the data with the current four high school format.
The first option utilizes Warren Area High School and Youngsville High School as the district's two high schools. Warren would hold 1,000 students and require renovations or an addition totaling $21.2 million.
Youngsville would hold 700 students and require a renovation of $14.8 million.
The second option uses WAHS and a new high school. According to DeJong, the construction of a new school, housing 700 students, would cost about $35 million. The WAHS cost would remain the same as the first option.
Under both options, Allegheny Valley and Sheffield elementary schools would be combined to create the Sheffield K-8 site at the high school. That conversion would cost just over $2 million. South Street Early Learning Center would be closed and students would attend Pleasant Township School, which would be renovated for approximately $10.1 million.
Beaty-Warren Middle School would receive a major renovation, as well as Sugar Grove and Russell elementary schools, which would then accommodate grades K-8. Construction costs are estimated at $31 million.
Eisenhower would be closed under both options, while Youngsville High School would be closed under the second option.
The estimated cost of the first option would be $82 million, while the cost of the second option would be an estimated $102.9 million.
An earlier option presented by DeJong to keep all four high schools open and perform needed renovations carries a price tag of $94 million.
DeJong estimated operating cost savings of $123,159 per year for the four school option and nearly $2 million per year for either of the two school options.