Use of MAC by schools questioned

The solution seemed as elementary as one-plus-one.

Too many kindergartners are expected at Evening Street School next year. The McConnell Arts Center (MAC) is next door, and has extra classroom space.

So, lease two MAC classrooms to the school district. Earn money for the arts center, solve the overflow problem at Evening Street, and everyone wins.

Maybe not, Worthington City Council said on Monday night, putting a hold on plans that seemed to be moving smoothly until then.

"It offends me a little bit that the schools are coming back and taking it after the city fixed it up for them," council member Scott Myers said.

He led a barrage of philosophical questions about the legality and propriety of allowing the MAC to be used as a temporary kindergarten site.

Among the issues raised are when the MAC stops being an arts facility, as is required in its contract with the city; the fair market value of the classrooms, and whether the city should give the schools a deal; and some very basic questions, like how would kindergartners use adult bathrooms.

"I am so confused, I would have to vote no," Myers said as the proposal was tabled to give city staff, school administrators and MAC director Jon Cook time to come back with answers.

The original problem cropped up last March, when kindergarten registration at Evening Street surprised school veterans. Usually there are 52-56 Evening Street kindergartners. This year, 76 signed up, though the number has decreased to 70 as some parents decided to keep their kids home next year.

This year, there are two kindergarten classrooms at Evening Street. One holds a full-day program, one holds two half-day programs.

Next year, there is a need for three full-day programs and one half-day, or four classrooms, said Worthington Schools administrator George Joseph during a telephone interview.

That would be two classes of 22-24 students, plus a full-day program with enrollment in the mid-teens, and a half-day program. He expects the classrooms to fill up with additional students enrolling at Evening Street or with students bused in from other schools with overflowing kindergarten numbers.

School administrators considered other options, such as busing Evening Street kindergartners to other schools, at what Joseph said would cost $15,000 to $16,000 a year; or leasing portable units, which would cost $127,000 to install and $4,500 to $6,000 a year to lease.

The schools approached MAC officials about leasing two classrooms there, and the two agreed to a lease of $8,000 a year for two rooms on the first floor. One is currently a classroom, another is a lounge.

The schools want a two-year commitment, but some council members said they would want to reconsider after the first year.

The schools would be responsible for turning the lounge into a classroom, and for any costs associated with furnishings, communications, or equipment.

Joseph presented the idea to parents at a recent meeting.

"It went really well, people are very receptive to it," he said.

So too, is the MAC staff.

"We are very excited to have the chance to build alternative audiences," Cook said.

Council was approached for its approval because the lease between the city (which owns the building) and the MAC states that the MAC "shall have possession of the premises for the purpose of constructing and operating an arts center and for no other purpose."

"I don't want this to be an impediment to what the MAC is supposed to be," Myers said.

Council member Dave Norstrom said the classrooms would be considered "an ancillary service" that would take up about 10 percent of the building space.

Ownership of the building would revert back to the taxpayers if it ceases to be an arts center, council member Mike Duffey pointed out.

Where is the line where it ceases to be an arts center, he asked. Is it at one room, or ten?

Duffey also questioned the amount of the lease, asking for the amount of the fair-market-value for two classrooms.

"If $8,000 is less than the market rate, we are subsidizing the schools," he said.