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Hamilton superintendent outlines school consolidation, staff recall progress and moving plan
Summary
Superintendent Andrea Blevens presented a detailed relocation plan tied to a roughly $10 million reduction: the district will consolidate from 13 to 11 buildings, coordinate staff recalls (84 on recall list, 29 recalled so far), contract professional movers for a May–August move, and proposed a calamity day to support packing.
Superintendent Andrea Blevens on Wednesday outlined a draft relocation and transition plan she said is designed to implement nearly $10 million in budget reductions while protecting class sizes and core student programs.
Blevens told the Hamilton City School District board the reorganization will reduce active buildings from 13 to 11 and shift several programs and sites: the freshman campus will join the high school, Wilson Middle School will move to the freshman campus, Miami School will relocate to the current Wilson site, and Butler County ESC will operate preschool and nursing services previously provided directly by the district.
Blevens said the intent is to preserve instructional programs and student services while improving building utilization. “We are going to go from a total of 13 buildings as part of our fleet … to 11 being used next year,” she said, adding that athletics, fine arts and class sizes will remain unchanged.
The superintendent gave a staffing update and recalled-work plan as part of the transition. “There are 84 staff members that are on the recall list here. We have recalled 29 of them already,” she said, breaking down recalls by category: elementary teachers, special education staff (seven of nine recalled), and educational assistants—many tied to preschool placements now coordinated with Butler County ESC.
Blevens described a compressed calendar and logistics timeline for summer moves, recommending a concentrated packing period and the district’s use of a professional mover. The district’s proposed timeline sets May 1–22 as a purge-and-pack window, May 22 as the last teacher record day, and moves to begin May 26 so buildings will be ready for August openings. To give staff uninterrupted work time to pack, she proposed taking a calamity day that would move the last student day from Thursday, May 21, to Wednesday, May 20.
The proposal includes a contract quote with Planes Moving & Storage to handle large-scale relocation. Blevens said the district negotiated a conservative ceiling in the bid and expects final costs to be below that maximum. She also described a color-coded box-and-label system for staff packing, an early July opening window for staff to set up new classrooms, and steps to coordinate signage and capital-improvement funding for rebranded buildings.
The superintendent cautioned that some elements must move quickly: Butler County ESC must apply for a preschool site license by June 8 to operate at the vacated Fairwood site. She said the district is working with Butler County ESC on staffing and site responsibilities and will publish transportation routes on August 1.
The board did not take a final vote on the relocation plan at the meeting; Blevens said the presentation is a draft for ongoing staff and board discussions and monthly updates to the board.
Next steps: Blevens said she will provide monthly status updates on recalls, placements and logistics and recommended communications to families and staff about the proposed student last-day change if the board supports the calamity-day approach.
