DUBOIS - The DuBois Area School District is looking into a reconfiguration plan for the middle school.
Officials are considering moving fifth-graders to the middle school, which currently houses grades six through eight.
According to the reconfiguration proposal on the district’s website, the plan is being considered because the middle school is not as full as it should be.
The state’s recommended percentage of building utilization is 85 percent.
As of Nov. 30, there were 830 students in grades six through eight attending the middle school, marking the building’s percentage of utilization at 61.6 percent.
If fifth-graders were moved to the middle school, enrollment would increase to approximately 1,111 and the percentage of utilization would be 82.35 percent.
In April, the district voted to permanently close three of its seven elementary schools.
If it is decided to move fifth-graders, students previously affected by the closings will be in three different schools over a three-year span.
Fifth-graders would also have to adjust to a 7:35 a.m. start time and the loss of recess.
Officials said the plan would create new learning spaces, including life skills and autistic support classrooms.
According to the reconfiguration plan, the move could also potentially reduce staff, which would save the district $1 million to $2 million annually.
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