NEWS

FCS hears from public on buildings

Daniel Carson
Reporter

FREMONT- Fremont City Schools wants to hear from parents, staff and students about its school facilities and buildings, and will hold a community meeting next month to discuss the feedback received in its series of district-wide coffee discussions.

The community meeting is scheduled for March 31 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Fremont Middle School.

Superintendent Traci McCaudy told Fremont City Council members that the district's goal is to hold 100 coffee discussions with residents by the end of March.

"And we're halfway to our goal," McCaudy said.

McCaudy said the small group discussions with community members were informal, with the district is looking for solutions on what to do with some of FCS' aging buildings.

The district's original Croghan, Lutz, Stamm and Washington Elementary School buildings were all constructed in the 1920s. Atkinson and Hayes Elementary Schools' original buildings were built in the 1950s, as was Fremont Ross High School.

A 2008 ADA Architects, Inc, report recommended the replacement of the heating, roofing, electrical and plumbing systems in several of the district's buildings.

Fremont City Schools will host a community meeting March 31 to talk about its buildings and facilities. The meeting is from 7 to 9 p.m. at Fremont Middle School.

A staff survey of 148 district certified employees and 34 classified employees released in July 2015 showed that the vast majority of FCS employees felt a large number of students were being adversely affected by the physical conditions of the district's high school and elementary buildings.

More than half of surveyed staff members cited the inability to control classroom temperatures, and the resulting loss of instructional time as a top problem.

Health and safety concerns regarding mold, allergy issues, unsafe carpeting, lack of proper ventilation and hallway congestion were also important issues for some staff members.

McCaudy said that in September 2015, the district mailed postcards to every household and invited residents to take part in the coffee discussions. A Dec. 18 letter to coffee discussion participants from McCaudy detailed what had been shared on feedback forms.

McCaudy said the feedback will help the district weigh the cost of replacing buildings versus the cost of renovation.

dacarson@gannett.com

419-334-1046

Twitter:@DanielCarson7