VALPARAISO | The first of eight "neighborhood conversations" about the recent community task force report that proposes replacing seven city elementary schools with four larger, modern buildings takes place Wednesday.
The forum to present the report and gather public reaction to it starts at 7 p.m. at Parkview Elementary School, 1405 Wood St.
The task force met through the spring, had two public forums and presented its final report to the School Board earlier this month.
The report includes a proposal that calls for replacing three existing elementaries with two new sister schools, replacing the high school pool and updating its auditorium between 2009 and 2014 at an estimated cost of $65 million.
In a second phase, two more sister schools would replace four remaining older elementaries at an unspecified cost.
With a new state law eliminating the old petition and remonstrance process on school construction, both phases would be dependent on passage of referendums.
Other than Flint Lake Elementary, built in 1993, the city's elementary schools are 40 or more years old and are "limited in their functional capacity to deliver current and anticipated programs," the report says.
The consolidation proposal has received the most attention, but the task force also considered issues of full-day kindergarten, early childhood learning, other facility needs, and the impact of present and coming technologies.
Other issues raised in the report include class size, school size and the impact to city neighborhoods of redistricting or relocating schools. Parent groups have called for discussion of environmental impacts related to new construction and busing.
The district owns two parcels of land that are potential locations for new schools. One is adjacent to the administration building off North Campbell Street. The other is on the city's south side on Heavlin Road, near the county animal shelter off Ind. 2.
The report estimates an annual $70 tax impact on a $100,000 home and a $140 impact on a $150,000 home from a $65 million bond issue.
School Board President James Bernard has said the board likely won't discuss the substance of the task force report until after hearing public reaction at the forums.
