Middle school could be needed

DECATUR — If enrollment continues to increase, the Decatur School District could need to reopen its middle school as soon as next year, superintendent Larry Ben reported at a special planning session held before Monday’s school board meeting.

The school board members used the planning session to review the district’s existing facilities and discuss present and future needs.

The district’s enrollment was at 502 students on the first day of school, Ben reported. The Northside Elementary School, which houses students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade, is filled to capacity with all classrooms in use plus an additional room that was not intended to be used as a classroom, he said.

If the school continues to grow, the board will need to consider recreating a middle school for grades six, seven and eight, Ben said.

The middle school was closed to lower expenses when the school was in fiscal distress and grades six through eight were divided between the elementary school and the high school.

Ben said the middle school building could probably hold the sixth through eighth grade students next year. He recommended against reopening the old elementary school buildings because of maintenance expenses.

The addition of a middle school would require the expenses of an extra administrator and a library facility, which the board will have to consider, Ben said.

Board members also reviewed a detailed summary of the other high school campus facilities during the planning session and discussed ideas for improvements and possible long-term goals, including the eventual need for a new high school facility.