Warwick School Board explores adding Greenwood Lake high school students

No new buildings would be needed, but as many as 16 more teachers would, By Linda Smith Hancharick Warwick — The Warwick School Board will explore the possibility of accepting Greenwood Lake’s high school students on a tuition basis. If the board finds it would be beneficial to the district and the community, it would be up to the voters to decide in May. That was the consensus Monday night after a presentation by Warwick Superintendent Dr. Frank Greenhall. Greenhall, who has been at the helm since February 1, was approached by Greenwood Lake Superintendent John Guarracino early in Greenhall’s tenure. Having promised to look at new revenue sources for the Warwick district, Greenhall said he agreed to look into it. Right now, Warwick Valley High School could handle the approximately 320 Greenwood Lake high school students, according to Greenhall, with no change to the infrastructure. There are enough classrooms and lockers. Additional staff would be needed, up to 16 teachers. And with dwindling projection numbers, Greenhall said, taking on these extra students could help Warwick later on. Dwindling school population The graduating class of 2007 for Warwick has 443 students. That drops to 380 students for the class of 2010. By 2012, that number drops even further to 347 and in 2016, the seniors will number 296. Greenwood Lake’s numbers are dropping as well. Greenhall said these projections even take into account students who attend private schools who may later switch to public high school. While Greenhall looks at accepting the Greenwood Lake students as income, Greenwood Lake will look at it as a major savings. Currently, the students attend high school in Tuxedo, paying nearly $13,000 per student. Tuition is set using a state formula, called the Seneca Falls formula. Greenhall said based on that formula for this year, Warwick could charge up to $6,800 per student, saving Greenwood Lake district taxpayers nearly half their cost and eventually bringing in about $1 million to Warwick. The first year would not be as profitable for Warwick since text books would have to be purchased. Greenhall estimates eventually adding four new teachers to each grade if an agreement is reached. Greenhall also recommended that if the district goes forward with this, the switch be done over two years, bringing two grades at a time. He also suggested short-term contracts with Greenwood Lake, no more than three years at a time, allowing for a phasing out of students if either party wanted to end the agreement. Small, slow steps Board members stressed that this is simply an exploration. A committee of three board members — Deb Holton-Smith, John Connolly and Mike Meinhardt — will work with Greenhall on this and report back to the board on a monthly basis. If the board feels this would be in the best interest of the district, they will leave the final decision up to the district voters. The question would appear on the May 15 ballot as a separate referendum from the budget vote. A separate public hearing also would be held if the board recommends moving forward. The Greenwood Lake district has been grappling with skyrocketing education costs over the past few years. Because Tuxedo is a high-income district, there is little state aid. The cost to educate Greenwood Lake students in Tuxedo will approach $14,000 next year, according to Greenwood Lake Superintendent John Guarracino. Although Warwick has discussed merging or annexing the Greenwood Lake district in the past — the last time was in 2001 — they have never looked at charging tuition. Greenwood Lake’s contract with Tuxedo expires in June 2007. The district has approached other nearby districts to accept their students, including Chester. Taking on 320 more students, however, would have doubled the population at Chester Academy and the board decided not to go any further with it. ‘Open the door to that mountain’ Greenwood Lake has even gone to Albany to petition the state Education Department to allow them to build its own high school. A non-binding referendum was held nearly two years ago and voters overwhelmingly approved building one. But that decision is not theirs to make. The state Education Department makes those decisions and has consistently said no to this tiny district. “My recommendation is that we move ahead with this,” said Greenhall. “If the board decides to continue, we’ll look at the nitty gritty. Nothing else has been done.” There is much work to be done, many numbers to compile before any decision can be made. And there is both encouragement and concern on the part of the public. “I don’t see this breaking even,” said Paul Shust, a resident, before the presentation. “I know you will look into the financial implications of this,” said Andrew McLaughlin, a former school board member and a member of the Quality Communities Committee. “Greenwood Lake is part of the Town of Warwick. For us to end the divide that is the mountain between us, the general health of the whole community would improve if you open the door to that mountain.”