Tug of War

Tuxedo — Joe Zanetti doesn’t mince words. “Pulling 300 kids out of here will certainly have a negative impact on Tuxedo,” said the superintendent of Tuxedo schools, referring to the possibility of losing about 322 students from Greenwood Lake. Not to mention the aid involved in what is this year a $14.66 million school budget. “Losing between $4.6 (million) and $5 million in revenue will certainly affect our programs.” High school students in Greenwood Lake have attended Tuxedo High School for the past 23 years on a tuition basis. Currently, they make up more than 75 percent of the high school population at George F. Baker High School. However, with tuition increasing to around $12,000 per pupil, the cost has become prohibitive for Greenwood Lake, which has its own elementary and middle school. Greenwood Lake school officials have approached their counterparts in Chester, where the cost per student is about 25 percent less. Zanetti said he understands the cost factor. But, he said, what they get for their money in this small, safe school district is worth it. “Academically we offer nine AP classes and two university level classes in foreign language,” said Zanetti. “In extra-curricular activities, we offer boys’ and girls’ soccer, volleyball, basketball, JV wrestling, baseball, softball, and crew club. We have been very competitive in sports. “If Greenwood Lake students leave, we would have a much smaller group. It would have a very negative impact on our programs.” And the impact on staff would be significant as well. Zanetti said he and the Tuxedo School Board would certainly have to take a look at the implications to the staff, but they haven’t done it yet. The district has more than 60 teachers. The contract between Greenwood Lake and Tuxedo ends in June 2007. The Greenwood Lake School Board has started to look into other neighboring districts to fill the need in hopes of saving a significant amount of money but maintain the education level it has received from Tuxedo. Greenwood Lake is a K-8 district. The school board members have gone to Albany, seeking approval from the state Department of Education to add grades nine through twelve. Last year, 87 percent of district residents who voted in a non-binding referendum said they wanted to build a high school. But that decision remains with the state, and the state frowns on the move because it would have too much of an impact on Tuxedo. The irony in that, of course, is that the impact of Greenwood Lake students leaving Tuxedo for another district would have the same impact as building their own high school. Before Tuxedo, high school students from Greenwood Lake have traveled to Monroe-Woodbury and Warwick. Warwick school officials have rebuffed more recent overtures because they say their district already is big enough. Chester is in the process of discussing whether to take the Greenwood Lake high school students as tuition students in their district. Both districts held public informational meetings in December. Greenwood Lake’s public wanted to pursue the information gathering while those who showed up at the Chester meetings wanted no part of it. Adding the more than 300 Greenwood Lake students to Chester Academy would virtually double their student population, something most voiced concern with. The savings to Greenwood Lake taxpayers would be significant if the move to Chester is made. Even before negotiating with Chester, the tuition could drop by 25 percent, according to Greenwood Lake district estimates. The difference in the cost per student between Tuxedo and Chester is determined by how the state categorizes a community’s wealth. The state considers Tuxedo richer than Chester, and therefore gives much less state aid to Tuxedo. Regardless of what happens with the Greenwood Lake students, George F. Baker High School will see changes in the coming years. In November 2004, after more than a decade in review, the Tuxedo Town Board gave its nod to a development called Tuxedo Reserve. The developers recently started the planning process, which could take years, with the Town of Tuxedo Planning Board. The project is massive: 1,195 homes and townhouses in this town of just 3,334 residents, according to the 2000 census. After it receives approval, the project would be built in three phases over approximately 20 years, according to the project Web site. That would certainly fill the seats at the high school. Eventually. Zanetti estimated the development would add as many as 600 new students in the district. There also is a small section in the northern part of the town that sends approximately 120 students to the Monroe-Woodbury School District. It is referred to as Laurel Ridge. Although this population would not make up for the loss of the Greenwood Lake students, would the Tuxedo School Board look to have them join the district? “The Board of Education has always been open to that,” Zanetti said. “We haven’t aggressively looked at it. It has come up in the past by residents and the board has been receptive.” All of these, though, are unknowns, just as where the Greenwood Lake students will go come September 2007. As for now, Zanetti says his district is a good choice for Greenwood Lake on many levels, despite the cost. He says the size and safety are well worth the cost. “We don’t have bomb scares here,” he said. “We don’t have the issues that a bigger high school has. That is important. You should weigh in the value of a small school. There is a lot to be said about that.”What will happen to the Tuxedo School District if Greenwood Lake students leave?