A proposal to close North Hills and Reno elementaries by next school year highlights possible major changes to Marietta City Schools outlined in the district's five-year plan rough draft.
Other suggestions include renovating Marietta High School and Marietta Middle School and consolidating and redistricting Marietta's six elementaries into three new buildings in conjunction with the Ohio School Facilities Commission sometime in the future.
Marietta City Schools Superintendent Greg Backus declined to comment on the proposals Wednesday evening.
"I want to comment to all the press at the same time on Thursday," Backus said.
The school was to officially release the rough draft to the press this morning. Marietta City Schools employees and community committee members viewed a copy of the draft earlier this week, through which The Marietta Times obtained a copy of the rough draft Wednesday.
The rough draft lists objectives in the areas of curriculum/instruction, technology and facilities. It is based on public surveys, selected committee member meetings and administrative input collected since the school passed an 8.5 -mill operating levy in May. Backus has said he will visit each of the district's five elementaries from Jan. 13 to Feb. 3 to discuss the plan with the public.
Reno parent Wendy Ketelsen said she is disappointed to hear about the possible closing of her children's elementary school.
"Reno is growing and people move here because of the school and the great teachers," Ketelsen said.
"As a community, if we can pull together, we will do what we can to try and persuade them not to close the school."
Ketelsen said she is also concerned about Reno teachers and staff and whether they would be able to retain their jobs through a consolidation of the schools.
North Hills Elementary parent Dawn Holdren said she is anxious to hear what the school plans to do with the students if the schools are closed.
"Are they all going to be sent to one school or split up ... will parents have a choice?" Holdren questioned.
"I definitely think there needs to be some work with the schools, but it would be sad to see North Hills go," Holdren said.
North Hills and Reno elementaries are the district's two smallest buildings with about 190 students attending North Hills and approximately 160 students attending Reno.
The time frame for consolidating Marietta's six elementaries into three new buildings is not determined, the draft says. Those plans depend on reaching a deal with the Ohio School Facilities Commission - a process in which the state helps pay for renovated and new schools, if the district can pass a bond issue to pay its portion. Frontier Local Schools built its new schools with help from the state, and Warren Local Schools is looking to do the same, if it can pass its bond issue in November.