South Vermillion Com Sch Corp outlines campus consolidation plan, cites enrollment decline and targets 2028 bond

Dr. Williams presented the South Vermillion Com Sch Corp board with two primary options to address falling enrollment: consolidate all grades onto a single campus or renovate the district’s two elementary buildings.

She said the district had 1,423 students on the last day of the school year and said enrollment has trended downward over the past decade, a key factor driving the review. “We are continuing to decrease because birth rates in the county as well as online school or industry and so forth,” she said. Dr. Williams told attendees that the district’s per‑student spending shown on posted materials is about $2,900, compared with a local average the presentation showed at roughly $3,370 per student.

Why it matters: The district says consolidation would reduce the number of buildings it operates and could produce savings across education, operations and food service funds while preserving programming. Dr. Williams said the district’s intent is to avoid layoffs where possible and that previous staffing reductions occurred through attrition: “I can’t stress enough about people not losing their jobs. We’ve done it through attrition,” she said.

Traffic and safety: Responding to questions about vehicle and bus traffic at the campus highway intersection, Dr. Williams said district staff contacted the Indiana Department of Transportation to request three possible mitigations: lowering the posted speed limit in the immediate zone to 45 mph, installing a traffic signal at the intersection and, in the longer term, an intersection reconstruction. She said INDOT would first review data virtually and then send traffic engineers for an on‑site study.

Special education and programming: When an attendee asked whether students with individualized education programs would continue to receive services in general classrooms, Dr. Williams said placement will be determined on a student‑by‑student basis and that the district does not plan to change overall special education programming at the elementary level. “It depends on the student…we don’t really plan to change the programming as far as what they would get at the elementary level right now,” she said. She referenced discussions with special education staff (Miss Hilton and Mr. Jenkins) about appropriate spaces.

Timeline and next steps: Dr. Williams outlined a provisional schedule in which the district would complete further planning and design work, anticipate a bond issuance in April 2028 if the board votes to pursue construction, and allow approximately 18 months for construction to reach an August 2029 occupancy under a single‑campus scenario. She said if the board chooses renovation of the two elementary buildings instead, the district would need to plan for temporary student displacement during construction.

Facilities and divestiture: The presentation noted that closing buildings creates a divestiture need; Dr. Williams said the district would follow sale and reuse steps and is considering inviting bids for Ernie Pile as an early learning site. She emphasized the district’s desire to avoid leaving vacant property that would deteriorate.

Public engagement: Materials (including the full presentation and an editable FAQ) are posted on the district website and a district info email will remain available through the decision process; Dr. Williams said the FAQ will be updated live as questions arrive.

What’s next: Dr. Williams said staff will synthesize community input and then recommend either the renovation path or the single‑campus option for board consideration, with a likely timeframe for board action in the months after planning is complete. The meeting ended after a motion and second to adjourn the session.