DINWIDIDIE COUNTY, Va. (WTVR) - Enrollment, as well as state and federal funding, are all down at one Central Virginia school district.
As a result, Dinwiddie County Public Schools officials are looking for ways to save money, while maintaining classroom standards.
Dinwiddie County Public Schools Superintendent Dave Clark said some of the district's schools are under capacity.
In fact, 686 students are enrolled in the middle school that can hold 1100 students. The junior high has 672 students and a capacity of 1300. The high school has 1057 students and can hold 1600.
The school board votes to consolidate the three schools to save money.
However, that will mean some changes for students and teachers.
By closing the middle school, sixth and seventh graders would move to the junior high and be with the eighth graders. The junior high's ninth grade class would move to the high school.
That move could save about $900,000 and would come at a time when enrollment is expected to continue to decline for the next three years.
Clark said teachers are not expected to be impacted by the changes since they will move to the junior high school, along with the students.
The middle school, which was built in 1954 as the county's first new school for African-Americans, has undergone two major renovations. The last one took place in 1998.
