Mr. Knoll is excited to develop facility plans, "We are preparing our students for jobs that don’t even exist yet. Providing a good educational experience for students is what it's all about."
He continues, "While facilities are only a piece of that puzzle, they play a big role. It's not the 1950s anymore, straight rows of desks and lectures all day aren’t effective to teach in the modern world. We see where the world is going and its collaborative. Students need the spaces for that."
For many of the existing buildings in Canfield, their support systems have reached the end of their lives and replacing them is costly. This also drives many of the decisions.
For Nader Atway, the project is personal. "Education is important because it sets up our children for future success. It is a "pay it forward" mentality. When we invest in the community and our kids, many people stay in our community, or come back years later to work and raise their families. It is part of our legacy."
The district is most interested in gathering feedback from the community, exploring facility options, and moving the project forward.
"We need to recognize that our schools are the hub of our community, they make a huge impact on the experience that people have living here."
The facility committee will meet regularly over the next several months to further develop and explore aspects of a facilities masterplan. Their work will culminate in a master plan recommendation to the board of education for a potential ballot issue.
CLICK HERE FOR THE SUMMARY SLIDES
Community Facility Tours
In late September 2022, the district launched an in-depth master planning process, and encouraged the community to participate in the process, examining current facilities and attending master planning sessions to develop the best facilities plan for Canfield Local Schools.
This process, which was largely based on feedback from the community, has made significant progress. Last year, the district completed a series of open house tours of all facilities, examining them in detail. Now in the new year, we are beginning the master planning process.
Last October, community members, city officials, district staff, news media and educators toured Hilltop Elementary and C.H. Campbell Elementary, in November the group toured Canfield Village Middle School, and the High School in December. At each meeting, presentations were given by design and construction professionals that identified the strengths and weaknesses of the buildings, highlighted needed repairs and estimated costs for potential solutions. A “questions and answers” session followed, with those in attendance clarifying questions about school finance, building conditions and space usage. Full building tours were given by school principals, teachers, and maintenance staff.
For many in attendance, it was the first time they had seen Canfield’s buildings since they attended them decades ago.
For those looking to better understand each of the facilities, the presentations, building assessment materials and cost sets for each of the buildings are available on this website.
These tours helped inform the community on how aging facilities pose financial, educational and safety and security challenges to a district. They serve as a foundation for master planning discussions.
Key Presentations
· View the Hilltop Elementary School Building Condition Review from 10/19/22
· View the C.H. Campbell School Building Condition Review from 10/26/22
· View the Canfield Village Middle School Condition Review from 11/16/22
· View the Canfield High School Building Condition Review from 12/7/22