TUSCARAWAS TWP. – Tuslaw Local Schools saw an explosion of kindergartners entering the district last year.

Typically, the school has four kindergarten classrooms but a fifth was needed to accommodate the 109 new students during the 2021-22 school year.

As kindergarten registration continues (88 students registered so far) for the next school year, it appears the district won't have quite as many new students walking through the front door.

But the number of new homes being built in the district has school leaders keeping a close eye on enrollment figures.

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"We are watching it very closely," Superintendent Melissa Marconi said. 

Even without additional students, the elementary school is facing space problems.

Marconi said office space was needed to accommodate different services, including child and adolescent counselors, visiting the school. 

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They also needed additional instruction space for Title 1 aides and their students.

"We have changed our delivery method for Title 1," Marconi said. "Instead of large group learning, we are breaking it down into much smaller groups. It's not one-on-one but much smaller groups of children – two to five. We need space so the children are not distracted (during instruction)."

In order to meet growing needs, the stage in the school cafetorium has been converted into classroom space.

Marconi said the stage was mostly used as storage. The front portion remains and can be utilized, she added.

Officials had hoped to install something similar to the high school stage, which allows the area to be converted simply by a sliding wall.

The wall would have required structural steel, Marconi said, and supply chain issues hampered that plan.

"We made a decision on how to build the room based on what we could and could not get," she said. 

In the future, the stage could be converted back to a stage, she said.

The new space will become the music room. The existing music area will be converted into space for the Title 1 instruction.

Maintenance crews have been busy working on the stage conversion and preparing other spaces.

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"We moved a lot of storage and even emptied out a storage room into office space," she said. 

Work for the project is being completed by district crews and will cost between $10,000 to $15,000 for materials. 

The 58,549-square-foot building first welcomed students in 2011 and houses students from kindergarten through fourth grade.

Last year, when the district needed a fifth classroom for its littlest learners they moved the preschool class across the street to the district office and middle school/high school complex.

The preschool is across the hall from District Office and will remain in space that was renovated last year, Marconi said.

A potential population boost in the district is good news but can cause other issues.

"We are watching this," she said. "We get census data and every time we see what the population is expected to do. If we end up with five kindergarten classes repeatedly, eventually we will not have enough room."

She doesn't anticipate needing to entertain adding on to the building this year or next, but it is in the back of their minds.

According to the Stark County Auditor's Office, in the past three years 131 new single-family homes were built in the district. They added 31 in 2019, 68 in 2020 and 32 in 2021. 

The district also saw some students enroll after St. Barbara announced it was closing, but the overall enrollment numbers remain steady, Marconi said.

Beside the work inside the elementary school, work is taking place on the school's two playgrounds. 

All equipment was removed so new drainage could to be installed and new mulch. 

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"It's for our students safety," Marconi said noting the playgrounds become "soupy" after rain. 

The $30,000 project is expected to be completed before school starts Aug. 17.

Work al is taking place on the middle school roof. It is the last stage of the replacement project, she said. 

Reach Amy at 330-775-1135 or amy.knapp@indeonline.com.