Kings Elementary parents re-file appeal challenging school closing

WARWICK — The Committee to Save Kings Elementary School re-submitted its Article 310 petition to the Warwick Valley School District this week, in hopes of keeping the school open.

Attorney Michael Sussman said in a phone conversation that the group re-submitted its petition due to a failure to file a notice “in certain language.”

The Warwick Valley School Board board voted 6-3 last month to close Kings, as it seeks to close a budget gap of about $2 million, while it attempts maintaining program and small class size and keeping the school tax levy hike to a minimum.

The notice, Sussman said, is now in the mail on its way to the state Commissioner of Education, and includes a request for a stay, given the additional funds – about $700,000 – that the district received as aid from Albany.

Sussman said that the district has three days from receipt of the request for a stay to respond, after which his group will respond within two days to the administration’s response, and added that he thought the district would change its mind about closing Kings, in light of the additional school aid.

He said that while it is “rare to get stays in this situation,” there’s no reason not to try.

Group starts online petition
The other tack Kings supporters are taking is an online petition as they hope to keep fifth graders as part of the elementary school, versus moving them to the Middle School, as the administration has proposed as part of a restructuring should Kings close.

The petition can be found at the following link: www.change.org/petitions/the-warwick-valley-central-school-district-keep-the-5th-grade-in-the-warwick-valley-elementary-schools#supporters .

So far, 175 people have signed the petition.

School board candidates
In addition to voting on the school budget next month, Warwick voters will elect three school board members to three-year terms. Of the three members whose seats are up – Bob Howe, Cheryl Barker and Dawn Chester – Howe is alone among the incumbents to seek re-election.

The following candidates have announced their intention to run:

Keith Parsons;
Paula Cornine;
Shannon Hockswender;

Eilleen Gagliano;
Sophia Georges; and

Theresa Warren.
Hockswender is perhaps best known as one of the driving forces behind the proposed DIRT Charter School.

By Abby Wolf