Seneca Valley School District prepares parents for changes with new school
JACKSON TOWNSHIP (KDKA) — Parents received more information Monday about how the Seneca Valley School District is deciding who will attend the district's new school.
Students from several elementary and middle schools will move to the Ehrman Crest Elementary/Middle School when it opens in the fall.
Jennifer Richart doesn't want her son, who is in the fifth grade at Haine Middle School, to have to switch to the new school. She said it is farther away and he will have to leave his friends.
"He just moved from one school to the middle school this year, and now they are asking him to move again. I get it's a new school, it's exciting. But his friends are at the school he is at now, and there are not that many who are moving to the new school from our community, our neighborhood. And that's my concern, and then he's going to have to do it again when he gets into seventh grade," said Richart.
Seneca Valley School District and the Davis Demographics team hosted a public presentation to explain the student attendance zones adjustment proposal. Richart and other parents got to ask questions.
"Why not leave those few fifth-graders alone? Why do you have to see let's move them all this further away with one year left?" Richart said.
"I will bring this up next time we meet," said the Davis Demographics team member.
Evans City Elementary and Middle School is closing in the fall. Students from Evans City School will attend Ehrman Crest School. If the proposed zone changes are approved, around 186 K-5 students from other schools in the district will go to the new school as well. Those decisions would be based on a student's grade and address.
Some Evans City School parents think it'll be a good move, and they are excited about the state-of-the-art facility.
"There's a lot of features that needed to be updated. It'll be a lot nicer to have the new school," said Jessica Gladstone, whose child goes to Evans City School.
Seneca Valley School District Superintendent Tracy Vitale said the district consulted with experts to come up with a plan to ease capacity in all K-6 schools. She said the district is growing.
"Our goal is to make sure all the quality services are delivered to all of our elementary buildings, and my personal goal is to make elementary class sizes smaller than they are," Vitale said.
The school board is expected to vote on the student attendance zones adjustment proposal in May. For details on the changes, click here.
