WESTMORELAND COUNTY, Pa. — Hempfield Area School District is moving forward with plans to change where many of its sixth through ninth graders learn next school year.
During a public hearing Tuesday, the school board voted 8-1 to consolidate the district’s three middle schools into two.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> Parents want answers on plan to consolidate Hempfield Area School District’s middle schools
Students in sixth through eighth grade at Harrold Middle School will be sent to one of the district’s other two middle schools.
Board members cite declining enrollment and the age of the Harrold building as reasons behind the decision.
“We did the other schools and this one has not been touched for a long time. Did they purposefully leave it sit and let it go to a point where it can’t be fixed?” questioned parent Michelle Cairns.
She and other parents expressed concerns about class size and extra travel time to and from the other middle schools.
“We know that it’s probably not going to go well because the current busing situation and the current class sizes show that when they’re going to consolidate, it’s going to be just as bad,” said parent Todd Slavin.
Starting next school year, the board also approved using Harrold for the district’s ninth graders while a $100 million renovation gets underway at Hempfield Area High School.
The school will be known simply as Harrold School.
“These ninth graders are going to high school and they want that high school experience and they’re not going to get it next year,” said Cairns. “They’re not going to be learning about high school, learning about what goes on at the high school.”
Tony Bompiani was the only school board member to vote against the plans.
He encouraged fellow district leaders to consider re-evaluating the massive price tag for the high school renovation project before making any further decisions.
“With this super inflation, the cost has just escalated,” he said.
School board members said it’s still unclear what will happen to Harrold School once the high school renovation is completed.
They say any decision that’s made will have to go through a series of public hearings.
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