Parents, teachers fret over possible closing of Pine Island Elementary

‘Passionate’ conversation takes place between public and superintendent, By Abby Wolf Warwick - Warwick Valley School Superintendent Dr. Raymond Bryant found himself at the center of a heated discussion Monday evening over the future of Pine Island Elementary School at what was scheduled to be a brief special meeting concerning the sale of the old Albert Wisner Library building to the Historical Society of the Town of Warwick. As Bryant opened the floor for public feedback on the content of the district’s strategic plan’s analysis, he was met with a flurry of questions from parents and teachers reacting to rumors about the potential closing of one of the district’s elementary schools, specifically, Pine Island, as part of the school district’s future redistricting plans. The school board is looking to close a budget shortfall of between $5 million and $6.5 million, depending on whether Albany provides aid to the school district next year. One parent concerned about the impact of Pine Island closing mentioned that Warwick’s elementary schools were doing special environmental programs to attract NASA and grant money. “Nobody wants to see their elementary school close. I bought my home so my kids would go there (Pine Island),” she said. Other parents agreed with her sentiment. “Businesses in Pine Island will fail,” the parent added, should the district close the school. She used the example of parents who, while waiting to pick up their kids, would patronize a local pizza establishment; should the building be closed and students absorbed into other district schools, those parents would be unlikely to go out of their way to spend time - and money - in Pine Island businesses. “We can’t afford our property values to go down or our businesses to close.” A woman identifying herself as a Pine Island teacher said, “We have small class sizes and the best third- and fourth-grade test scores.” She, too, was worried about the potential negative effects of a school closure. “Is there anything we could give up (in terms of programs)?” Options The board will be making its recommendations at its next strategic planning work session next month. As board member Paul Caskey responded: “You’re getting ahead of the Board.” As it begins the long difficult work of developing its budget for the coming school year, the school board will be looking at a number of options, potentially including redistricting, equalizing enrollment, or possibly closing an elementary school; re-working bus runs, including the possibility of more students walking (where there are sidewalks); seeking concessions from teachers and staff; and seeking a school tax increase. Another parent asked: “Why is closing an elementary school the first thing you’re looking at?” Caskey told her the board is “looking at several scenarios,” including re-doing bus routes if Pine Island closes. On the other hand, “One of the options is sending more kids to Pine Island.” Superintendent’s message In an e-mail to board members and building principals, the school superintendent wrote: “In terms of a question raised last (Monday) evening; there has been no formal BOE discussion about redistricting to save transportation costs and to equalize enrollment across the elementary schools. Nor has there been any discussion about closing an elementary school or reorganizing the elementary schools into different grade level configurations. That direction will be provided by the Board, following the data we share on Monday evening at the December Long Range Planning meeting to be held on Dec. 20. Any decisions will be made with the mission and vision of the school district as a guide.” Parent Alison Berman suggested the board find some way of “cost-sharing across the community.” Bryant replied that Warwick has approached other school districts regarding cost sharing, and is sharing transportation costs with BOCES. “Some things we can’t do because it’s illegal.” Pine Island Elementary School Principal Jane Hamburger acknowledged the board’s efforts. “You’ve worked very hard … It’s important that you not pit one school against another. (Some people believe) that they’re going to pay their taxes, but they’re (still) going to lose their school.” She added, “Could we look at cutting the entire budget?” Bryant said that across-the-board cuts are not an option: “Eighty percent of the budget is not touchable,” since that portion includes teachers’ and aides’ salaries and benefits, health care, and retirement pensions, so there is little left to cut. The difficult choices, Bryant added, may include cutting teachers, increasing class size, and/or increasing revenue (i.e., taxes) - the latter, he acknowledged, will be neither easy nor popular, especially in the current economic climate. But there may not be much of a choice, if there is no help from Albany on the horizon. According to Bryant, assuming no changes (in terms of staffing and program), a “rollover” budget would entail a $6.7 million shortfall if there is no tax increase; a shortfall of $5.7 million would involve a 2 percent tax increase, necessitating a potential 11 percent tax levy; a shortfall of $4.7 million would entail a 4 percent increase, making a 9 percent tax levy necessary. Strategic Plan - Gap Analysis Bryant presented an overview of the school board’s long-range strategic planning process. The analysis covered preparation; vision; SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis; needs assessment/demographic profile; problem statement; strategies; goals; action plans and activities; and evaluation. Bryant said that many of the district’s buildings are old and need to be retrofitted and rewired to keep up with modern technology. Some examples of tech wish list items and their costs: Computers ($500,000); Smart Boards ($300,000); updated phone system ($100,000); security ($150,000). Funding for updated technology would come from the capital projects portion of the budget, using money saved from the roofing project, pending voter approval. Next: Special Meeting of the school board on strategic planning session at the Dorothy C. Wilson Community Room, 7 p.m.

Nobody wants to see their elementary school close. I bought my home so my kids would go there (Pine Island).” A Pine Island parent to the Warwick Valley School Board

Former library building sold to Historical Society
Warwick -The Warwick Valley School Board approved the sale Monday evening of the old Albert Wisner Public Library building to the Warwick Historical Society for $310,000.
According to School Superintendent Dr. Raymond Bryant, fair-market value, the condition of the library, the needs of the community and parking were all taken into consideration.
Funds from the sale will go to the school district to “down-spend the debt on the (new) library,” according to Bryant.