The Butler Area School District is continuing to consider reorganizing.
Surveys taken last fall were detailed by Superintendent Brian White during a meeting Monday.
The results were narrowed down to three scenarios. Keeping things the way they are; transiting to a typical elementary/middle/high school structure; or having elementary schools coupled with two middle schools and two high schools.
One of the main components of any of the scenarios is what to do with the now-labeled Butler Middle School, which was formally known as the Butler Junior High School and at one-time was the district’s high school. The building in the city of Butler is 102 years old and needs at least $20 million in repairs, according to officials.
In the second scenario, students would be kept in elementary schools through fifth grade, and then transferred to the current Butler Intermediate School for grades six through eight. The Butler Senior High School would house grades nine through 12.
The third scenario would keep students in elementary schools only through fourth grade; and then two current elementary schools would be named middle schools for students in grades five and six. The district’s current secondary schools- the Butler Intermediate and Senior high schools- would remain the same.
School administrators plan to analyze all of these options further, considering all financial, academic, transportation, student distribution and feasibility aspects. Other districts that have a similar size and configuration to Butler’s will be closely looked at.
The district could come to the school board in May with a proposal, but no changes would be made in time for next school year.
