Might GWL high school students come to Warwick?

Warwick School Board will discuss issue on Dec. 11, By Linda Smith Hancharick Warwick — Greenwood Lake’s high school students have been commuting to Tuxedo to attend high school for the past 24 years. They make up about 75 percent of the Tuxedo high school students and are taken as tuition students. Throughout that time and even before, this tiny K through 8 school district has longed for a high school of its own. In the meantime, this district has been grappling with skyrocketing education costs. Because Tuxedo is a high-income district, there is little state aid. The cost to Greenwood Lake taxpayers to educate each high school student is now around $13,000 and growing. Greenwood Lake School Superintendent John Guarracino estimates the cost will be around $14,000 next September. Enter Warwick. Frankly, Warwick has been approached in the past to take on the high school students from Greenwood Lake. Last year, talks progressed with the Chester School District, but Warwick and Monroe-Woodbury were not interested. Chester eventually bowed out, under pressure from parents who did not want to nearly double the number of their high school students at Chester Academy. This year, Warwick has a new superintendent. Dr. Frank Greenhall took over the position in February and was approached shortly after by Guarracino at a chief’s meeting. Guarracino said Greenhall has done this before in other districts and promised to look into it. “We are at the very beginning stages of discussion,” Greenhall said in an interview this week. “It was brought to my attention when I first came. I did a cost analyses. When I was hired I said I would look at anything that might alleviate the burden on the taxpayers and make education better and that’s what I’m doing.” No construction would be required There are approximately 1,441 students in Warwick Valley High School this year. Greenhall said he expects enrollment in the high school to decline over the over the next few years. By 2009, there will be 100 less students in the high school. Greenwood Lake numbers are expected to drop as well. Next year, Greenhall said, they are expected to lose about 60 kids. There are enough lockers in the building and enough classroom space to accommodate, so no new construction would be necessary, he added. Greenwood Lake would be responsible for its own bussing as well as its special needs students. Greenhall sees some pros for both sides. For Warwick, he sees increased course offerings without putting any more of a financial burden on the taxpayers and a new form of revenue for the district. “Financially, it is money coming in that isn’t coming in right now,” Greenhall said. For Greenwood Lake, the benefits are many. First, according to Guarracino, the cost to Greenwood Lake taxpayers would drop dramatically from the $13,000 it now pays per student to little more than half, depending on the state’s formula for tuition students. Warwick provides a bigger band program, sports program and more course offerings than does Tuxedo. Taxes at stake, not instruction Although Guarracino has stressed that he has always been happy with the education his students have gotten from Tuxedo, this is a matter of what the district taxpayers can afford. “I’d like to be able to talk more about education than money,” said Guarracino, “but the issue here has always been expense.” When the latest contract was negotiated with Tuxedo, the cost per student was about $10,000, according to Guarracino. Next year it will approach $14,000. He expects the tuition to Warwick to be less than $8,000 per student, a big difference in the pockets of Greenwood Lake taxpayers. Voters in Greenwood Lake last year overwhelmingly approved a non-binding referendum to build its own high school. That is not up to the district, however. The state gets to say who builds schools and because of Greenwood Lake’s size and the impact it would have on Tuxedo, the state has repeatedly said no to Greenwood Lake’s requests. The contract between Greenwood Lake and Tuxedo runs out in June 2007. Guarracino said he will continue to negotiate with both Tuxedo and Warwick to see where it goes. If Warwick’s School Board looks favorably on this, all 320 high school students would not be moved together. The move would be done in phases, said Greenhall and Guarracino, probably over two years with much prep work done for the kids. “Maybe we could have the kids come and visit the school, run a dance,” said Guarracino. “It would be a change for everyone.” School boards meet And the decision for this rests solely with the respective school boards. This is not a district merger, which would have to go out to votes. Instead, this is simply accepting tuition students, a decision for the school boards. Greenhall sent the information he has gathered to his school board, which will meet on Monday, Dec. 11, at its regular meeting, to discuss it. Guarracino will meet with his board on Dec. 13 to discuss it as well. Both men think it could work for their districts. “You know, we are part of the same town, our kids play ball on the same teams together,” said Guarracino. “This would make sense. It would be a win-win for everybody, I think.”