The recent redistricting plan approved by the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) school board, and the opening in August of the new Southeastern Elementary School, will reduce the need to use portable classrooms around the district. However, Superintendent Allen Bourff told the school board Wednesday night that even with that, up to four elementary buildings in the HSE district will be above capacity and there will continue to be some portables in use during the next school year.
One solution to the overcrowding in some buildings would be the expansion of Durbin Elementary in Wayne Township. All of Wayne Township is part of the HSE district.
The lack of utilities in that rural area of Durbin and the cost of extending utility service to the school has held back any plans to renovate Durbin with an eye on adding as many as 200 students. Bourff did say that expansion at Durbin would result in no elementary portable classrooms in the district. Bourff says there have been some recent discussions on options for Durbin.
“We’ve been in contact with some developers looking at other opportunities for the future of Durbin Elementary,” Bourff told the board.
There are many options on what to do with Durbin. One option is to renovate and expand the capacity at the current location. But Bourff says the school corporation owns land to the south of the current location and moving there is another option.
But the discussions with private developers and the City of Noblesville have opened up the possibility of other options for a Durbin location. Bourff said he could not reveal what other locations are under discussion, but all would need to include utility access.
Bourff emphasized to the board he has nothing to announce at this time, but discussions continue on the future of Durbin Elementary.