MANSFIELD — Springmill STEM Elementary will need a name change soon.
The public magnet school operated by Mansfield City Schools will add seventh grade in 2027 and eighth grade in 2028.
The school board voted on a resolution Tuesday to make it official after discussions about an expansion earlier this year.
Superintendent Stan Jefferson said delaying the expansion until 2027 will give the district time to ensure adequate staffing and make any necessary facilities adjustments.
The resolution states that administrators have reviewed enrollment projections, the building’s capacity, staffing considerations, curriculum alignment and the budgetary impacts associated with the phasing in of seventh and eighth grade.
“By 2031, STEM occupations are projected to grow at more than twice the rate of all other occupations of America,” Jefferson said in March. “Why would we not want our youth to have as many opportunities as we can (create)?”
Springmill STEM Elementary opened in 2017. The magnet school currently serves students in grades K-6 and is STEM-designated for those grades K-6 by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce.
The acronym STEM is short for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, representing a curriculum and career focus aimed at fostering innovation and technical skills. A STEM education emphasizes fields like computing, engineering, and the sciences, often with a focus on preparing students for future job markets.
Jefferson said a key element of STEM education, project-based learning, is occuring at Mansfield Middle School. But he argues the district should offer a STEM-focused path to its middle-school students.
“We are very excited. At the end of the day, it’s about providing students with opportunities whether its in a magnet school such as Springmill STEM or (any other school in the district) … providing opportunities for students to grow and learn,” he said.
Jefferson told Richland Source Wednesday the district has sent a full-time counselor to Springmill STEM after staff said having a part-time counselor wasn’t meeting the current need.
Lori Douce was reassigned to the building on April 13, according to a slate of personnel actions approved by the board on April 7.
“There will be a full-time counselor at Springmill STEM as we move forward,” Jefferson said.
Other staffing changes will be dictated by future enrollment and student need.
Jefferson said the administrators have already met with the music department at Mansfield Middle School to discuss how Springmill middle schoolers could participate in orchestra and band.
“We’re doing a follow-up meeting in the near future. We want to look at, ‘how do we build a schedule over there for that?'” he said.
“They are excited about putting an instrument and putting music in all children’s hands, regardless of what school they go to.”
Springmill STEM is located on the north side of town, about 2.7 miles away from the middle school.
Jefferson said he doesn’t know yet how much it will cost to modify Springmill facilities to accommodate additional grades, but that facilities director Bob Booth believes it will be a management task.
“We don’t think it will be that much (money),” Jefferson said.
Some teachers have expressed concerns about the expansion of Springmill STEM
Will gave a presentation to the board in February outlining what it would take to add seventh grade as early as next school year.
She said enrollment at Springmill Elementary is at 222 students and is projected to increase to 257 next school year.
The building would need to seek an additional designation for new grades, adjust its lunch times and bus schedules, and modify its building.
Principal Cara Will said the building would need two to three more classrooms to accommodate another grade level, and would have to incorporate a second kindergarten class with expected enrollment increases.
Will said the two science galleries would be lost to make room for those classes. Other modifications would include making larger toilets and drinking fountains to accommodate older students, as well as purchasing larger furniture.
Staff at Springmill STEM have attended previous school board meetings to express concerns about adding seventh and eighth grade, but none were present Tuesday night.
Some of those concerns were related to an earlier proposal that called for expanding the grade levels as early as the fall of 2026.
But others were related to the differing developmental needs of elementary versus middle school students and a level of support for teachers and staff at Springmill STEM.
“I’m all for what is best for the kids, but I think that if we want to do that, then we need to grow what we have and build it better,” intervention specialist Jade Harner said in March. “We have the potential, but we need the training. We need the support in order to do that.”
Harner and others also emphasized the potential benefits of Springmill STEM students stepping outside of their comfort zone and into the middle-school hallways.
“[Middle schoolers] are at a very different stage physically, socially and emotionally,” teacher Melissa Vogt said in February.
“They benefit from increased independence, exposure to larger peer groups, access to extracurriculars, new teachers, the chance to discover new interests as well as better preparation for high school.”
