Facilities decision scheduled for Wednesday vocal parties on both sides of issue
There are two schools of thought in the Bethlehem Central School District when it comes to the possible closure of an elementary school. For some, it is as black-and-white as a balance sheet. To others, it is a complex and sometimes emotional issue.
For the past few weeks, these viewpoints have been colliding, and the BC Board of Education is expected on March 30 to render a decision on whether to close an elementary school.
Most likely to face the chopping block is Clarksville Elementary School, though the board is also considering shuttering Elsmere. These two have the lowest enrollments in the district, at 203 and 282 students this year, respectively.
BC is working to close a $4 million budget gap this year, which already takes into account spending down the fund reserve by $2.5 million and raising the tax levy by 2 percent. Administrators peg the savings of closing a school at $800,000 to $900,000 in the year it’s closed, meaning a closure in the 2011-12 school year would be a great help to the budget problem, but not a full solution.
The budget process is still ongoing, but it’s expected 37 teacher positions will be cut, in addition to other staffing reductions. The school board is slated to adopt a budget on April 6.
Emotions running high
For many, the issue of a Clarksville closure goes well beyond dollars and cents. As opponents of the closure note, the school has been in operation since 1948. Since then, some residents say, it has become a lynchpin to that community, serving as a symbol, meeting space and source of pride.
I don’t think they can really take into account or consider the true impact of the estimated savings…without looking at the current value of Clarksville to its current students and community,` said Jim Cable, a parent of a Clarksville student and outspoken advocate for keeping the school open.
This sentiment has been evident at the two public forums the district has held on the issue, when parents, teachers and alumni have spoken highly and sometimes emotionally of the value of a Clarksville education.
There have been parents and community members who, while acknowledging the school’s quality, say closure is the only way to provide an adequate education to students there and district wide.
Enrollment numbers fuel debate
This sentiment is in large part based on Clarksville’s low enrollment, and is chief among the reasons administrators have drawn a fix on this school. Having just 203 students at the school means most grades have only two class sections, some just one. This has led to the propagation of multi-age classrooms, where students in grades one and two will be in the same class, for example.
The use of these classrooms has in the past sparked protest from parents who feel their children are being bilked educationally. Some have also raised worries their children will be stuck with the same handful of peers for their entire elementary experience, leaving them without opportunities for socialization.
Others, however, have said they prefer a small school environment. Parent Judy Abbott said her children have plenty of contact outside of school hours with sports and other activities.
`We’re involved in so many different aspects of our community,` she said. `We do a pretty good job of keeping our kids socially accessible.`
From the district’s point of view, however, keeping smaller classes at one of the six elementary schools is not a fair allocation of resources. The district tries to keep class sizes relatively uniform.
`In the business world this would be called consolidating resources to come out with a better bottom line,` said Superintendent Michael Tebbano.
Abbott also questioned the district’s projections that enrollment will continue to decline at Clarksville. These figures are the generated by the same methods, she argued, that in 2003 predicted the district would need to build Eagle Elementary to handle a growing population. The opposite has come to pass.
`They’re basing a portion of their decision to close Clarksville on a highly uncertain model,` she said.
Abbott went on to argue low enrollment at Clarksville was a problem created by the district itself when dozens of children were redistricted to Eagle upon its opening in 2008.
Tebbano acknowledged more questions should have been asked in 2003, but added that with this decision a thorough review is currently taking place.
`I still contend that nine years ago when they created that report…the economy was much better, there was promise for housing developments to fill out all the schools…` he said.
If Clarksville were closed, the students would be redistributed to Slingerlands and Eagle elementary schools. Administrators say those schools could handle the extra volume.
Community questions study conclusions
After Clarksville was identified by a fiscal `think tank` last year, the Board of Education ordered the district to prepare a study on the details of rearranging its facilities.
The study concluded closing Clarksville (or, as it was later determined, Elsmere Elementary) would save between $800,000 and $900,000 in the year of its closing an a smaller amount of about $80,000 in subsequent years. The market value of the building is estimated at $2.5 million, but there’s been no talk of selling it.
The savings generated from a Clarksville closure would be chiefly recognized in staffing reductions. 4.8 full time teaching positions would be shed from the district payroll, as would a principal, a nurse, two clerical positions, 2 1/4 custodial positions, two kitchen staff positions and four noon aide positions.
The teaching positions will not necessarily be Clarksville teachers. Like with all faculty layoffs, the teachers with the least seniority district wide would be let go first.
The salaries and benefits add up to over $800,000, and would be in addition to the layoffs proposed in the rest of the budget. Energy and maintenance savings add up to over $80,000, which would be realized every year Clarksville is closed, while the layoffs would have a one-time effect.
There is some disagreement over the district’s estimate for what it will take to keep the school mothballed, however. BC administrators say $3,700 annually should cover snow removal (for firefighter and maintenance access), pest control and monitoring of security systems. The building’s pipes would be drained and the heat would be shut off.
Some opponents of the closure have pointed to a 2003 district planning document ` one that eventually spurred the construction of Eagle Elementary ` that pegs annual mothballing costs at $20,000. That estimate was simply for planning purposes, said Tebbano (the document is marked `Draft-For Discussion Only`), and also assumed the school would be heated.
But a group of Clarksville residents have drawn up their own figures. Susan Dee, who owns a Clarksville-based facilities planning firm, says even this $20,000 estimate is too low. The heat would have to be run at a minimal level, she said.
`There’s no way you can leave a building in that condition and expect to have an asset when you come back,` she said.
Dee pegged the cost of mothballing Clarksville at around $70,000 per year, nearly what the district would expect to save. She pointed to a National Park Service procedure for mothballing historic buildings that recommends heating and ventilation of closed buildings to prevent mold and other issues. Clarksville is on the National Register of Historic Places, which is maintained by the Park Service.
Dee said she doesn’t have children or relatives at Clarksville, but felt she had to speak up after seeing the district’s plans, which she feels would damage the building.
`It’s my tax dollars that I’m concerned about,` she said.
Abbott said she’d like to see an independent consultant conduct a study.
`The feasibility study was conducted by the school district, which is facing a financial crisis,` she said. `You’re going to look at the low hanging fruit.`
The `think tank` group examined dozens of ideas for savings and revenues in its meetings, but many of them were eventually discounted as illegal, unworkable or ineffective.
Second class citizens?
If there has been one running theme from Clarksville advocates, it would be that the school and its community are ostracized for their rural nature and location in the Town of New Scotland (the only school institution outside of the Town of Bethlehem).
Enrollment is declining district wide, said Cable, not just at Clarksville.
`It’s our kids that are going to pay the price…to solve a district wide problem, a district wide problem of declining population,` he said. `It’s almost like we’re a horse waiting to be put down, and I would challenge that.`
Tebbano said it has never been the intention to target the school.
`My personal feelings are I think Clarksville is a wonderful community, I think it’s a wonderful school…It’s unfortunate we’re at this situation where we’re looking at the economic factors,` he said. `I wish we weren’t in a situation where we had to look at losing one of our buildings.`
Other options remain open
Besides closing Clarksville or Elsmere, there are other options on the table. It has been proposed the district close its district offices on Adams Place in Delmar. The building has a value of $670,000 (according to a 2009 assessment) but operations would have to be shifted to another location. The work involved with making that move would eclipse any operational savings, according to the feasibility study, so the building would have to be sold to make a fiscal impact.
That option has not been a big part of the recent discussion, but Tebbano said it’s still on the table.
The school board will also consider a full redistricting of students to equalize population at the six elementary schools. Redistricting would not return much in the way of savings, though, and would cost about $40,000 to complete.
Then there’s always the option to do none of these things and leave the facilities structure as it is.
Board members have not been vocal thus far on where they stand on the facility issue. Between the studies, two public forums and the wave of written comments that administrators say is rolling in, they will have a broad body of information on which to base a decision.
Check www.spotlightnews.com for the latest on the issue.“
