NEWS UPDATE: Merger study recommends ‘best’ campuses, grade alignments
Millersburg and Upper Dauphin Area school board members met in a work session Oct. 7 to hear the results of Phase One of a feasibility study on a possible merger of the two districts in the future.
As prepared by the Pennsylvania Economy League, Phase One looked at five possible campus alignments and their pros and cons.
Of the five, the PEL said it believed a merged Millersburg-UDA venture would be best served if:
• The current UDA Elementary/Middle School Complex in Loyalton become solely an elementary center for Pre-K through Grade 5.
• The current Middle-High School Campus in Millersburg become solely a middle school for Grades 6-8.
• The current UDA High School Campus in Elizabethville serve as a high school for grades 9-12.
In making the recommendation, the PEL cited each buildings’ capacity for the necessary number of students, as well as each buildings’ suitability to accommodate the academic programs necessary at each grade level (elementary, middle and high schools).
The Phase One study, in its entirety, is to be posted in the near future on the respective website of each district.
The Sentinel’s Oct. 15 issue will have more particulars on what was shared Oct. 7.
All five options – which started with retaining all current buildings and moved from there into different combinations – will be available for public review on the websites. (Most of the options, including the one deemed ‘‘best,’’ call for Lenkerville Elementary School to be decommissioned.)
The joint boards made no decisions Oct. 7 on any facet of Phase One.
Meetings to garner public input are scheduled for the next two Mondays – Oct. 14 at UDA Middle School and Oct. 21 at Millersburg’s secondary campus. Both meetings are at 6:30 p.m.
Both boards are scheduled to meet Monday, Nov. 11 and vote on whether to proceed to the next phase. (Each board’s vote will be taken separately)
The next phase will address aspects such as finances, grade alignments, transportation and other issues affecting day-to-day operations of the merged district.