The Steel Valley School District board of school directors, school administrators, and representatives from DRAW Collective publicly presented plans for a new elementary school and listened to feedback from citizens as part of an Act 34 hearing on Thursday, June 22.

No decision was made Thursday night on whether to build a new elementary school. The Act 34 hearing is an important part of the process for any capital project like building a new school. It is mandated by the state and must be held before any official decision on the construction of a new building.

Following an introduction from Superintendent Edward Wehrer and an outline of the Act 34 process by solicitor Donald Fetzko, representatives from DRAW Collective walked the audience through the proposed plan for a new elementary school. Mark Sheller and Jacklyn Cowan shared details of the district's feasibility study, which highlighted the poor condition of Barrett and Park Elementary schools. "All elementary facilities require significant
capital improvements with minimal opportunity to insert newer educational programming opportunities for today and in the future," the firm wrote in the Act 34 Hearing Booklet.

The plan would bring the two student bodies together under one roof, addressing equity issues in the district, and "relieves current spatial and organizational pressure at
the elementary buildings due to fluctuating enrollments and facility limitations."

During the presentation, the DRAW Collective representatives highlighted the construction materials and design of the building, showcased a layout that separates classrooms from more public areas like the cafeteria and gymnasium/performance space, discussed key security and safety elements, and detailed proposed traffic flow and busing procedures.

Following the presentation from DRAW Collective, business manager Matt Weber shared some of the background on the cost analysis and financing available to the district.

The design, cost analysis, financing and other details can be viewed in the attached Act 34 Hearing Booklet.

Citizens who registered to speak were given the opportunity to address the Steel Valley representatives first, followed by those in the audience who had not registered. The design of the Act 34 hearing means that the district representatives listened and gathered feedback, but did not directly answer questions. Steel Valley will continue to collect feedback through noon on Monday, July 24. Citizens may write to the school district office at 220 E. Oliver Road, Munhall, PA 15120.

The full hearing is available to watch below or on the Steel Valley High School Facebook page.

The public is also welcome to attend the next scheduled board meetings. A worksession meeting will be held on Monday, June 26 at 7:30 p.m. while a voting session will be held on Thursday, June 29 at 7 p.m. Both meetings will be in the high school library.