BUTLER TWP — Breit Cochran is among the hundreds of teachers in the Butler School District who will be in a new classroom or a new school next month.

He's already unpacking boxes at his new, bare classroom on the second floor of Butler Intermediate High School. Cochran usually stops by the school for a few hours at a time with his daughters, Emily, 8, and Katie, 3, as his little helpers.

He's taught seventh and eighth grade social studies at the junior high for 14 years, and he'll continue doing that at his new school.

He's optimistic about the fresh start.

“It was nice to see all you have and all you can do with it.” Cochran said of packing and moving his supplies. “Being the department chair, I can't think of anything negative. They did a great job moving everything.”

The district closed five elementary schools in June: Broad Street, Center Avenue, Clearfield, Meridian and Oakland. Center Avenue is re-opening as a special needs and alternative school.

There also will be different grade configurations at all of the schools when classes start Sept. 8:

• The six remaining elementary schools will serve kindergarten through fourth grades

• The middle school, which is the former junior high school, will have fifth and sixth graders

• The intermediate high school will house seventh, eighth and ninth graders

• The high school will house sophomores, juniors and seniors.

While eight teachers were originally furloughed in the consolidation plan, six of those teachers have since been offered positions in the district as more staff retired or took positions elsewhere. One of the furloughed teachers accepted a position in another district.

The vast changes in the district in the past few months made an aggressive transition plan necessary.

Twelve part-time summer maintenance workers moved thousands of boxes from classroom to classroom, school to school.

Glenn Terwilliger, maintenance director for the district, said all boxes are in the appropriate buildings. Some classrooms are now being cleaned, floors waxed or walls painted. For the most part, things went smoothly.

“We actually ran way ahead of schedule all summer,” Terwilliger said of the moving process. “We knew it was a large project to take on, but we knew we could get it done.”

Teachers now are allowed to set up their classrooms if they choose. Technology installations still are ongoing. All classrooms for grades four and up will be equipped with a smart board this fall.

In addition to the moving and new installations, a new restroom was installed at McQuistion Elementary, a new family and consumer science area and a subdivide in one of the classrooms was added at the intermediate high school, and new doorways were installed at Center Avenue Community School.

The middle school underwent the biggest facelift over the summer, with newly painted walls, new carpeting and a newly designed playground outside. Unlike the elementary school playgrounds with jungle gyms and swings, the middle school will rely more on adolescent activities and socializing. Middle school principals took suggestions from fifth and sixth graders to make some of those changes, said Dale Lumley, superintendent.

The area will have games painted on concrete, such as four square, and park benches for socializing.

“Whatever the kids want to do, if they want to sit and talk, they'll be able to do that,” Lumley said.

Open houses planned

Students and parents at the elementary schools and middle schools will have a chance to see their new buildings before school starts.

• Center Township, Connoquenessing, Emily Brittain, McQuistion, Northwest and Summit will have open house sessions from 6 to 7:15 p.m. Sept. 3

• Middle school fifth grade parents will have tours from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Sept. 2

• Middle school sixth grade parents will have tours from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Sept. 3

• Secondary open house tours will be in October.

“We want parents to be able to come out and see the buildings before the kids are back the following week,” Lumley said.