The Hamilton City School District is moving forward with plans for the future of Fairwood Elementary following its closure at the end of this school year. The district has approved a lease agreement with the Butler County Educational Service Center to house the Head Start program inside the building. Under the agreement, ten classrooms, along with office and shared space at Fairwood, will be used for early childhood education beginning August 1st. The Head Start program will operate five days a week and will have access to the school’s playground, gym, and kitchen, with scheduling coordinated with other preschool programs in the building. The Educational Service Center will pay twelve hundred dollars per classroom each month, totaling about twelve thousand dollars monthly, and will be responsible for furnishings, transportation, and food service. Superintendent Andrea Blevins says the district will make $144,000 a year under the deal. The move comes as part of nearly ten million dollars in cuts announced by the district to address a projected financial shortfall tied to state funding. Fairwood Elementary is one of the buildings being closed, with students reassigned to other schools in the district.

District leaders say repurposing the building for Head Start allows the space to continue serving local families while supporting early learning opportunities in the community.