The Butler Area School District is putting together plans to reopen Broad Street Elementary School in Butler for the 2021-22 school year.

Superintendent Brian White told the school board Monday night that he wants to reopen the school next year as a step toward rebuilding capacity for grades K-5.

Closed by the school board in 2015 in a school reorganization plan, the elementary school is used as a cyber center where elementary teachers conduct online classes. The building is also an off-site care facility for the Butler Health System to use if extra space is needed to treat COVID-19 patients.

A reopening plan is being prepared and will be presented to the board in the next few weeks, White said.

Most of the students who would go to Broad Street attend classes at Center Township Elementary School. A small number go to Northwest Elementary School. Their parents will have the option of letting them remain at those schools or sending them to Broad Street, he said.

Sixty of the 135 families, representing 160 children who live in the Broad Street Elementary School service area, responded to a recent survey about the school, and 80% indicated they would send their kids there if it reopens, White said.

The air conditioning system was repaired, new tile flooring was installed and other improvements were made as a result of the agreement with the county to allow BHS to use Broad Street as a COVID-19 patient overflow treatment facility, he said. No capital spending would be needed to reopen the school, he added.

The cyber program will be different next year and the center might not be in the school, White said.

In other business, a presentation about the budget will be made at the Jan. 25 meeting.

White said the recently adopted federal stimulus bill includes $5.4 million for the district.

The board approved a one-year extension of its contract with Nutrition Group, which runs the district's food service program.

This is the fifth year of the current five-year contract between the district and Nutrition Group. The state is allowing districts to approve one-year emergency contract extensions with food service providers because of the pandemic, White said.

The board also was notified that Ann Isaacs resigned as the school tax collector for Connoquenessing Borough, but she will remain as the Connoquenessing Township tax collector.