Consolidation in Scioto Co.

[Jeep-ster]

With almost all the districts in Scioto County in new schools or in the process of getting them. Any consolidation would be many years off. But i'm curious as to how everybody would combine the school districts If that would ever happen.

[sider]

My guess would be West and Northwest would be combined
Minford,Valley, and Clay would be combined
East, and New Boston would be combined
Portsmouth and Notre Dame would stay city schools
And Green would absorbed into Wheelersburg

Just my best guess...

[preps_fan1980]

My guess would be West and Northwest would be combined
Minford,Valley, and Clay would be combined
East, and New Boston would be combined
Portsmouth and Notre Dame would stay city schools
And Green would absorbed into Wheelersburg

Just my best guess...

that's about my guess...i'd say east, new boston, and clay would join together though. i agree with everything else...

[southernohiofan]

here's mine
portsmouth,east,clay,new boston
wheelersburg,south webster, green
west,northwest
valley,minford
notre dame stays private
waverly,piketon

[smurray]

If there was any consolidation in Pike County I would say Waverly/Eastern and Piketon/Western.

[MTSWNGRVSG]

With all the new buildings I would be surprised if there was any consolidation because the voters would still be paying off the bond issues.

[alabama mike]

There is no way West and NW can combine. The thing that many of you DO NOT understand is the mileage these kids travel NOW on a daily basis. I work at NW as many of you know. Our school busses travel OVER 3,000 miles every single school day! We cover over 151 square miles as a district and West is not far behind. The NW school district starts on the south side about a mile south (toward Portsmouth) of the 73/104 split. On the north side, we go out PAST Rarden to the ranger station on 73 and to the Pike county line. Going west from Otway we have kids that live on the St. Rt. 125 end of Rocky Fork Rd. This particular location is about 2-3 miles from Shawnee Lodge. If you take St. Rt. 348 west of Otway, we turn around at a little community called Wamsley. This is out near Rudd's where they had the big Christmas light display for years. Our district is huge! I taught next door to a lady for years that lived in the NW school district. She lived 18 miles, one way from school. I do not think the state would ever consolidate NW and West for these very reasons.

As for some of the other schools, I have no idea why the state did not make Clay and New Boston join together. I know community ties are strong for both schools, nothing wrong with that but just think of what COULD be offerred if they were together academically, athletically and the arts. East would be a good fit here as well. Read next paragraph.

The people who attend East High School and Sciotoville Academy ALL ATTEND these schools as open enrollment students from their resident district because Sciotoville is a Community School AND NOT a district. In other words, they have NO RESIDENT STUDENTS! The kids who actually live in the old East school district are residents of the Portsmouth City School District.

Valley and Minford would seem like a perfect fit as well but boundaries would have to be looked at in this situation as well. Some students, especially from Valley may have to go to Piketon if they live in the northern part of the county.

Webster students would have the chance to go to Minford, Wheelersburg or Oak Hill if Webster was one of the schools closed.

Green could consolidate with Wheelersburg IF the students who live near the Rock Hill district are given the chance to go there.

I am not opposed to consolidation but combining schools is not as easy as you would think it would be to do. That's my story and I am sticking to it.

[flash]

All County schools have are getting new schools
but Green and the way the state has things set
up Green will never get one.

[Trojan_FB_Alum]

I know none of this would ever happen, but if it was up to me I would break it down like this.


Split Clay, between Minford and Valley. This keeps buses from having to go over the hill in the winter. Next split Northwest, sending half to West and half to Valley. This would make Northwest/West around a D2 school in football, and probably Valley/ Northwest/Clay consolidation about the same. I haven’t checked the #’s but I would guess that the Minford/Clay combo would be a D3 in football.

I would also force New Boston in with Portsmouth, as in actuality they are completely surrounded by the Portsmouth city school district. Portsmouth could also take some of the clay district if the state saw fit to split it into 3rds. Bringing in NB, would bump Portsmouth up to a D3. If East, were to no longer exist, and the kids in the district that currently go there, would come to the Portsmouth/ New Boston consolidation I would guess that would put them near D2 as well.

Next have Burg absorb Green, and South Webster. This would create another big D3 small D2 school. This district would be quite big, and I would expect some of the kids in the northern part of the district to go to either Jackson or Oak Hill.


Splitting it up this way would also present an opportunity for a good, league.

Portsmouth/ NB Division 3 or 2
Minford/ Clay Division 3
Valley/ NW/Clay Division 2
Burg/SW/ Green Division 2 or 3
Waverly Division 3
Chillicothe Division 3
Jackson Division 3
Gallia Academy Division 3

Those divisions are of course what I think these schools would be in football. I think this would be a really tough league, and you could always throw in Ironton, if they would be interested in getting into another league. I know they are D4, but I still think they would be a good fit.

The combination of these schools would leave the SOC1 scrambling to fill the void. With only Notre Dame, Oak Hill, Symmes Valley and maybe East. My suggestion to this would be to invite Manchester, and Fayetteville-Perry, as I believe these are the only schools in the SHL that play football. Even if you could get them to join for football only, I think it would be workable, because you would still be left with ND, Oak Hill, Symnes Valley, East, Western, and Eastern for basketball and other sports. The big problem that I would see is that Oak would probably look elsewhere such as TVC or OVC.

All of this is just speculation, because non of it would ever happen. To many nice new buildings, and bad feelings between districts for is to ever become a reality. I know it seems kind of stupid to have as many local districts as we do, but it makes for lots of opportunity for good games in the area.

[alabama mike]

Trojan FB Alum, if you split NW with Valley and Minford where would the kids go to school that live in the Otway and Rarden areas. It is 8 miles from downtown Otway to NW schools now. It is 14 miles from the main part of Rarden to NW. If they go to Valley, that would be an additional 7 miles one way to school. If a kid lives out behind Otway (west) and many do where would they attend school. Just thiking out loud.

East does not have a district, they are part of Portsmouth City now. Once again, kids who attend EHS or Sciotoville Academy attend as open enrollment from the district they actually reside.

[Trojan_FB_Alum]

I said to split Northwest between Valley and West, not Minford. To answer you question the kids in Otway would most likely go to Valley, as it is only 12 miles from Otway to Lucasville, and 18 from Rarden according to Mapquest. My guess is that everyone south of Henley would go in with West, and everyone north would go to Valley. I haven’t really looked into it, I’m just guessing.

You are right about East, as all of Sciotoville is Portsmouth school district. That is why I didn’t put them in with anyone. I did say that if for some reason they no longer existed those students would be part of Portsmouth/NB ‘s consolidation. I would expect East to stay a community school, unless they saw a drop in enrolment, or had a money problem. I would actually expect them to get an influx of students, from other districts that don’t want to go to a large consolidated school.

[BOBBY]

Alabama Mike
if consolidation ever comes, I hope it doesn't, milage for kids will be list to the money of the issue. I k ow Vinton County schools cover 414 square miles, not sure about Logan-Hocking schools. 151 square miles to those schools don't seem like much. Again, I hope it never happens but I don't think milage will play a role.

[alabama mike]

Bobby I think Vinton County is the largest school district per square mile in the state although I am not sure. I do know Northwest is second in the state in square miles or we were at one time.

Sorry Trojan, I misread the post.

[minfordmamma]

not sure if minford would ever consolidate but some of eastern would go to minford. pike county has always talked about, " what if". eastern has kids from jackson county, scioto county and from pike.

[jumpman]

If there was any consolidation in Pike County I would say Waverly/Eastern and Piketon/Western.

I don't know if you remember this, or even heard this, but before all these schools got new facilities, there was actually some very preliminary talk (probably more of a rumor) of Piketon, Eastern, and Western consolidating into a Pike Co. School District like Vinton County. Waverly being a city district, I doubt consolidation is in their future, unless they absorb a school district, like you said - Eastern. In that case, Eastern would probably be split into several districts as it includes Beaver, Stockdale, Waverly, Piketon, Jackson, Minford, and Lucasville addresses.

[mister b]

Bobby I think Vinton County is the largest school district per square mile in the state although I am not sure. I do know Northwest is second in the state in square miles or we were at one time.

Sorry Trojan, I misread the post.

According to the Ohio Department of education website, the top 3 school districts in terms of square mileage...

Switzerland of Ohio Local - 546
Adams County/Ohio Valley Local - 487
Vinton County - 416

Logan-Hocking Local is 317 square miles.

[Ironman92]

Square mileage...no but Whiteoak has kids over 40 miles away that are in the school district. It's very wide (ridiculously actually) and very small north to south wise.

[Jeep-ster]

I agree that consolidation will not happen now. This was just a "what if" post. I also like the number of schools we have in Scioto County. I wouldn't want any to close. I even support other schools if they do well in tournament time. We are very blessed here because everybody knows everybody. And at the end of the day, our team may not have won but then we can show the rest of the state that we are Scioto Countians.

[robycop3]

"Consolidation" is a 4-letter word. It is a destroyer of the integrity of the community.

[Portsmouth98]

Bobby I think Vinton County is the largest school district per square mile in the state although I am not sure. I do know Northwest is second in the state in square miles or we were at one time.

Sorry Trojan, I misread the post.

According to the Ohio Department of education website, the top 3 school districts in terms of square mileage...

Switzerland of Ohio Local - 546
Adams County/Ohio Valley Local - 487
Vinton County - 416

Logan-Hocking Local is 317 square miles.

The Adams County I'm pretty sure is 3 or 4 high schools, Miami Trace is pretty big also.