Bowling Green to close two elementary schools | News

By Cristy Gimbel - bio | email

Bowling Green City Schools is announcing sweeping changes for the school district, including closing the doors of two elementary schools.

The district will close Milton Elementary School at the end of this school year and Ridge Elementary School at the end of next year. Bowling Green discovered it will lose big money because of Personal Tangible Property Tax reductions.

“This is not a plan that has been in the works for months or for years. This is a plan that literally within the last three weeks that has come together,” said Ann McVey, Superintendent for Bowling Green City Schools.

As a part of the two year plan, students will be sent to the district’s other three elementary schools. Crim Elementary will be expanded to accommodate extra students. In addition, sixth graders will join seventh and eighth graders at the middle schools.

“We put this plan together to try to get out ahead of what would be a financial crisis,” McVey said.

McVey said they chose Milton and Ridge because they are older buildings and have the lowest enrollment. Closing the schools will save almost $2.4 million. Because of the savings, the district will not lay off any teachers and will be able to offer all day kindergarten.

However, neighbors of Milton Elementary said they are worried about their community. The small school is located in the small village of Custar. The village has about 200 residents.

“The school is the only thing we pretty much have, except the fire department down the street,” said Teresa Boice. Boice lives down the street from Milton.

“It’s not going to be inviting for adults to move their families here. We’ve already got a depressed in the town anyway, and to lose the school, just makes it that much worse,” Boice said.

Student will find out their new schools by the end of this school year. The district will take the students on field trips to their future schools.