Huron Board of Education to vote on closing Shawnee or McCormick

HURON – When Huron City Schools students return to school for the 2023-2024 school year, there will likely be one less building that some of them will be attending.

At Tuesday’s Huron Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Dr. James Tatman announced that the district is planning on closing either Shawnee Elementary or McCormick Junior High for the upcoming school year.

Dr. Tatman said closing one of these buildings is a first step in the district’s strategic facility plan. He says that long-term the district will move to either having one or two campuses, which will maximize efficiencies and educational benefits, but will require large Board and community support. For the short-term, however, Dr. Tatman says that closing one building will reduce fixed expenses and increase educational benefits. He said, “Consolidation is a short-term solution to allow the time needed for a long-term comprehensive facility plan.” He added that the district has seen a 23.9% decrease in enrollment from the 2009-2010 school year, which was one year after Shawnee reopened as a public school.

According to Dr. Tatman, Shawnee and McCormick are being considered because while all four buildings require significant renovations, those two are in the worst shape. In a Suitability Appraisal Summary, Shawnee and McCormick ranked the lowest at 62%, while Huron High School ranked at 64% and Woodlands Intermediate ranked at 69%. Dr. Tatman stated both schools have similar operational costs, with McCormick having a calculated annual fixed cost of $70,782 and Shawnee having a calculated annual fixed cost of $73,553.

Currently, Pre-K to 2nd grade is at Shawnee, 3rd grade to 6th grade is at Woodlands, 7th grade and 8th grade is at McCormick, and 9th grade to 12th grade is at the High School. If Shawnee were to close, Pre-K to 5th grade would be at Woodlands, 6th grade to 8th grade would be at McCormick, and 9th grade to 12th grade would continue at the High School. If McCormick were to close, Pre-K to 3rd grade would be at Shawnee, 4th grade to 8th grade would be at Woodlands, and 9th grade to 12th grade would also continue to be at the High School.

Dr. Tatman showed support for closing Shawnee and keeping McCormick open. He stated that it would allow students who do not meet the requirements of the 3rd Grade Reading Guarantee to remain with their peers while receiving reading instruction and intervention. He also stated that 6th through 8th grade students at McCormick would be able to have a regular middle school experience and be in close proximity to the High School and the Huron Public Library. He added that the McCormick gym and theater would be lost if the building were to close and it may be difficult to find suitable replacements.

In a survey with the teachers union, the Huron Education Association, a majority of respondents stated that they support closing McCormick and keeping Shawnee open. Dr. Tatman pointed out, however, that only 19 union members responded to the survey.

The Board is expected to vote on closing a school at their December 20 meeting. Dr. Tatman said members of the public can email feedback on the buildings to him at jtatman@huron-city.k12.oh.us or by filling out the Community Feedback form on the district’s website. Some board members also stated that they would like to hold a town hall meeting to allow the public another forum to share their opinion on the district’s buildings.

This article was written by Nate Hinners. Contact Nate at nhinners@huroninsider.com.