When Hamilton's Board of Education meets Monday, it will consider building new schools and closing others.

        The decision could change more than the way children are educated.

        It could change the rhythm of the neighborhoods.

        The board wants to replace Hamilton's 14 elementary and kindergarten buildings with nine elementary schools.

        Ninth-graders would move out of the junior high schools and into a new building. The plan also calls for Wilson and Garfield junior highs to become middle schools (grades 7 and 8).

        Hamilton High would continue to take the 10th to 12th grades. The plan would be put into place over eight to 10 years.

        It comes after Hamilton council, under pressure from citizens, recently withdrew — for now — a proposal to close one of the city's neighborhood firehouses.

        Now come the schools. No doubt Hamilton needs some new ones. Several were built from 1894 to 1909. Others aren't as “old” — a number were built in the 1950s.

        In May 1999, voters passed a 4.4-mill bond issue (by a vote of 4,359 to 4,118) to raise $45 million for improvements at every building in the district. It was the first time in 43 years that district voters approved a bond issue.

        I'm neither for nor against the board's new plan, but I am a bit apprehensive about anything that could change Hamilton's delicate neighborhood structure.

        I remember seeing students standing on the grounds of Pierce Elementary to hold their “Red, White and Blue Day,” honoring the city's veterans — including my late father.

        Such activities reveal neighborhood schools' personal touch — and special mission.

        Unlike the area's suburban communities (many of which lack downtowns), Hamilton's cultural and historical connections flow from its neighborhoods, including Lindenwald in the south.

        When a neighborhood loses an architectural and social focal point, such as a firehouse or school, the area changes in some way.

        Under the plan, Lindenwald's George Washington Junior High, built about 1959, would close. The west side's Wilson Junior High, built in the 1930s, would remain open.

        Some years ago, Lindenwald had three elementary schools — Hayes, in the neighborhood's south; Taylor, in the central; and Pierce, in the east.

        Eventually, the board closed Taylor School, which has sat boarded up ever since. School spokeswoman Joni Copas said Taylor is privately owned, though people assume the board still owns it.

        Regardless of ownership, the effect is the same — one inactive block.

        “The board is committed not to leave empty buildings,” Ms. Copas said. “They don't want eyesores. They want to keep the neighborhood school concept.”

        But the loss of Pierce, George Washington and other schools — whether they ultimately become empty lots or something else — could be aesthetic and social losses to the neighborhoods that depend on their schools for more than education.

        But in these interesting times, sports arenas become obsolete in 30 years and schools in 40.

       Randy McNutt's column runs on Saturday. He may be reached at 860-7118 or at The Cincinnati Enquirer, 4820 Business Center Way, Cincinnati, OH 45246.

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