School Board OKs plan to study new school site

June 10, 2005|by BONNIE H. BRECHBILL

GREENCASTLE, Pa. - The Greencastle-Antrim School Board voted Thursday evening to begin preliminary planning for a new school on property south of Leitersburg Street.

The 50 acres of land is now a cornfield, and is bordered by Interstate 81 and Leitersburg Street, across from the Tayamentasachta Environmental Center on the present campus.

The district purchased the land in 2002 for $1 million.

Schools Superintendent P. Duff Rearick said he will talk to the architect about preliminary costs. He plans to report to the board by early November.

"We need some idea of what we're looking at," he said.

The district finished the school year with more students than it started with, he added.

"We will enroll more kindergartners for next year than we had seniors graduating," he said.

About 175 seniors graduated from the high school Wednesday evening.

"We enrolled 20 students last week. That's unheard of for this time of year," Rearick said.

Rearick said he spoke with other Franklin County school superintendents recently.

"All are experiencing a lot of growth," he said. "We're probably the most intense right now. Growth has to be managed."

Rearick said there is room for two schools on the tract.

"We're only considering the first school," he said, which would probably be an upper elementary school.

"Nothing is concrete," he added.

Total students in the district is approximately 2,770, Rearick said.

"We'll open (in September) with more than 2,800."

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