The administration and I made the recommendation to move the Oak Hill Community School 6th grade to South Junior High School effective with the 2010-2011 school year, and the school board voted in favor of doing this. After several months of studying this with parents, staff members and community members, we were able to arrive at this recommendation.
This move will alleviate the space pressures at Oak Hill, and it is also the first step in creating a better program for 6th-8th graders. We recognize the value of students being in one building for three years rather than two. The 6th graders will be able to experience more opportunities at South, including the Media Center, better technology geared toward their age level, advancements in Math, etc. The move will also result in lower class sizes for the 6th grade at South vs. Oak Hill.
I also recommend a Phase 2 plan be brought forth at a future time, and would involve adding all 6th grade students from Talahi, Clearview, and Lincoln Schools to South Junior High in 2011-2012. This Phase 2 proposal would go through the same decision making process as was used for Phase 1, and that this is the District’s vision, however, budget constraints would need to be considered before making a commitment. There are no increased costs for the Phase 1 transition. For Phase 2, South would need to remodel existing space to add additional classrooms.
