Tuesday, November 09, 1999
Monroe split would mean school shuffle
BY SUE KIESEWETTER
Enquirer Contributor
MONROE — Anticipating that Monroe voters will approve creation of a separate school district in March, educators are trying to determine how many students to prepare for at Lemon-Monroe High School.
Likewise, educators in the Middletown/Monroe Schools want to know how many Middletown teens assigned to Lemon-Monroe might return to Middletown High School if the split is approved.
Parents are being asked to return a brief survey to assist both districts in planning to accommodate students next year.
The survey, to be returned by Nov. 19, asks families if they prefer their child go to Middletown High School or Lemon-Monroe if transportation is provided, or if they prefer Lemon-Monroe even if transportation is not provided.
In September, the Ohio State Board of Education cleared the way for a new district when it reversed its 1997 decision and approved a petition by the Committee on Reviewing Education (CORE) to split from the Middletown/Monroe Schools. The new district would be for Monroe residents. It would begin operations July 1 if voters give their blessing in March.
“We need to get a handle if we're going to have 350 kids or 900,” said Suzi Rubin, a member of the provisional governing board of the proposed district and founding member of CORE. “Both districts need to have some idea of what to expect.”
About 40 percent of Monroe's 900 students live within the boundaries of the new school district. The rest live in Middletown but are assigned to Lemon-Monroe High School.
Members of CORE said if voters approve the new district they would allow Middletown students now enrolled in Lemon-Monroe High School to finish there. Unresolved issues include transportation and whether there would be room for younger children now enrolled at Verity Middle School to go to Lemon-Monroe High School when they reach ninth grade.
Dorothy Lewis moved to Monroe from Middletown last month so that her two children could attend her alma mater, Lemon-Monroe High School. She said CORE's efforts to form a new district helped the family decide on a home in Monroe because her children would go to Lemon-Monroe High School regardless of what voters decide next March.
“We had been contemplating a move,” said Mrs. Lew is, who has a son at Lemon-Monroe and a daughter at Verity. “It (CORE's action) was a big deciding factor in where we moved. I didn't want my kids separated. I am more comfortable with smaller schools.”
Mrs. Lewis said she worries that freshmen at Lemon-Monroe might not see their younger siblings from Verity follow them because of space considerations. She also wonders what will happen if transportation isn't provided for Middletown students who opt to finish at Lemon-Monroe.
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