Shaler Weighs Reopening Closed School For Marzolf Classes

Shaler Area School District officials are considering a plan to temporarily move students from Marzolf Primary School to another district building while renovations proceed. The plan would delay the sale of Shaler Area Elementary School, which the district had planned to close at the end of the current school year.

Shaler Area Elementary sits on Scott Avenue, about 3 miles north of Marzolf. Superintendent Bryan O'Black said vacating Marzolf during the work "could allow renovations to proceed without students and staff occupying an active construction site, potentially reducing disruptions to instruction, shortening the construction period and limiting certain construction-related expenses."

O'Black said no decisions have been made and the district is in the early stages of discussing proposed renovations, alterations and additions to Marzolf. He said Marzolf will be in use for the 2027-28 school year, though a construction timeline has not been set. If the school board approves the temporary use, O'Black said, the sale of the elementary property would be delayed until the space is no longer needed.

The district's buildings and grounds committee meets at Marzolf at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 18 for a public meeting and tour of the school.

Needs at Marzolf were identified in the district's 2022 feasibility study, which estimated the cost of the work at between $8.6 million and $9.3 million. "The purpose of the current discussions is to explore how the district can address those long-standing facility needs while ensuring the building continues to provide a safe, modern and appropriate learning environment for our students and staff," O'Black said.

Shaler Area is in the middle of a reconfiguration that converts four K-3 primary schools, Burchfield, Marzolf, Reserve and Scott, into K-5 elementary schools. Those schools currently serve kindergarten through fourth grade and will add fifth grade in 2027-28, when sixth grade moves to the middle school. Shaler Area Elementary School, which has served grades 4-6, is slated to close.

O'Black said the board would need to weigh the relocation plan against the potential educational, operational and financial benefits of moving students temporarily.