By BRITTANY LEWIS
WISH-TV | wishtv.com
The board of Carmel Clay Schools in a Monday night meeting voted 4-1 in favor of rebuilding one elementary school and relocating a second one, per a recommendation from one of the district’s interim superintendent, Roger McMichael.
At a meeting last month, McMichael called for demolishing and rebuilding Carmel Elementary at its current location. He also suggested closing the current Orchard Park Elementary and using it for adult education purposes or for use by the Parks and Recreation Department, while building a new Orchard Park campus off Clay Center Road.
McMichael said he hopes to have construction started on both sites by February 2020 and the schools ready to use by June 2021.
The school district released a statement following the vote:
“The CCS School Board made the difficult decision tonight to close Orchard Park Elementary and build a new elementary school at Clay Center Road which will open in July of 2021 along with a new Carmel Elementary facility built on its current site.
It was a difficult recommendation for CCS Administration to bring to the Board and for the Board to approve since Orchard Park Elementary has been a special school in our community and big part of many students, teachers, and community members lives over the years. We are fortunate to live in a community where people are passionate about their schools and education.
The recommendation was based on providing every student in our community, both now and in the future, a 21st century learning environment in the most efficient and fiscally responsible manner. It is now our task to design and build those special learning facilities and work hard over the next three years to make these transitions a positive experience for the students and families we serve.”