The New Philadelphia Board of Education recently approved a contract to transform a portion of their Quaker Dome athletic facility into a preschool. (Photo by Stacey Carmany, Tusco TV)

New Philadelphia, Ohio - School district officials have taken the next step toward creating a new learning environment for its youngest students. 

The district’s board approved a contract Monday to renovate a portion of the district’s Quaker Dome into a preschool facility at a cost of just under $836,000. Superintendent David Brand says the facility will feature four preschool classrooms to replace the ones the district has been using at Starlight.

“They’re reprogramming some things, so they need their space back, so we’re no longer able to have our preschool at Starlight DD,” he explains. “We have been essentially looking at various locations to house those kiddos, and through that extensive work, the Quaker Dome became the most logical best option for us.”

Brand says there are some areas at the athletic facility that aren’t being used, and so the board decided the most logical solution to their preschool dilemma was to renovate that space.   

“ This is a good opportunity to utilize space that we have and a good long-term solution,” he says. “The Quaker Dome is going to be part of the district for many, many years to come, and so it was the one that we felt most comfortable with economically, and then just part of a long-term plan as we still in parallel work with our master planning process that we’re going through.”   

Brand says the renovated facility will also feature offices for the district’s special services unit.

“Our psychologist, speech and language pathologist, things of that nature, special ed director will all be housed there so they can collaborate and work together,” he says.

Brand says the work should begin soon and must be completed before school starts back up after summer break.

STACEY CARMANY, TUSCO TV