District staff outline proposal for new pre-K–6 and 7–12 schools to replace aging Welty Middle and New Philadelphia High

District staff presented a facilities master plan proposing to replace Welty Middle School and New Philadelphia High School with a consolidated pre-K–6 building and a combined 7–12 middle–high campus, saying the new facilities would be designed to support modern, student-centered learning.

District staff said the current Welty and New Philadelphia buildings reflect an older curricular model and aging infrastructure, and that new construction would enable “next-generation” classrooms adaptable to lectures, small-group work and project-based learning. The presentation described plans for advanced technology infrastructure and high-speed wireless to address connectivity problems the staff said exist in buildings that are roughly 80 to 100 years old.

The plan calls for dedicated collaborative spaces, modernized science and STEM labs, enhanced art and music rooms, and outdoor learning areas. Staff said consolidating elementary grades into a single pre-K–6 facility would allow the district to pool specialized educational resources — for example, dedicated intervention and counseling staff — and that keeping secondary students on one modern campus would improve equitable access to counseling, advanced placement courses and new elective offerings.

The staff presentation framed the project as an investment in educational quality and student safety but did not specify funding sources, a construction timeline, or required approvals. No formal vote or motion on the proposal was recorded in the provided transcript.