Pace continues for new Liberty-Curtin elementary school in Blanchard
FARWELL, PA – The public received an update on planning for a new Liberty-Curtin elementary school at Thursday night’s Keystone Central School Board work session held at Bucktail High School. Next up in the process is a public meeting at the existing school in Blanchard, from 6 to 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 11.
Board member/facilities committee chairman Jeff Johnston was upbeat in reporting on a recent committee meeting with representatives from project architect, Crabtree, Rohrbaugh and Associates. According to information at the Thursday night board session, new cost figures should soon be shared in a booklet available to the public.
The district held a public meeting at Liberty-Curtin last October. At the time, preliminary costs were placed between $18.2 million and $19.9 million, including any “soft costs.” Superintendent Jacquelyn Martin also noted the updated financial information will soon be available.
According to the enrollment report as part of the school board meeting on Thursday, the school houses 147 students, compared to 152 a year ago. (The same report shows school district enrollment continues to drop, from 3,516 a year ago to 3,407 currently).
The timeline for a new school, per last October’s meeting, was 12 months to design and 18 months for construction, with an anticipated opening date of August of 2025.
The superintendent reported that interviews have been scheduled for the hiring of a new assistant superintendent in the wake of last month’s termination of then-assistant Mark Condo. She said it is hoped to have a name in place for the board for its October meeting. She said a committee representing many school and community constituencies will serve on the interview committee.
Dr. Martin also said a renewed emphasis on enforcing the district’s cellphone policy for students has produced positive results. She said so far just seven violations have been reported; otherwise, she said, cell phones could be banned completely. She thanked teachers, staff and students for their respective roles in the effort.
