Proposal to reduce elementary schools gets pushback

WOODSTOCK, N.Y. >> Options for closing one or more elementary schools in the Onteora Central School District have brought objections from people who are not convinced the statistics support the proposal.

During a school board meeting on Tuesday, former school district Trustee Laurie Osmond said more information is needed before moving to close any buildings.

“Closing schools without a clear, widely communicated plan of what to do with the buildings and what it will cost is irresponsible,” she said, “particularly when it comes to (hamlet) schools that are hubs and anchors for our communities.”

“We’ve already seen how the district has handled school closure,” Osmond added. “We don’t need two more empty buildings decaying in the middle of (hamlets) for years.”

Onteora officials closed the former West Hurley Elementary School following the 2003-04 school year. That district has had an agreement since 2017 to sell the building to developer Kerry Danenberg, who is seeking to construct apartments. That deal has not been finalized, however, because the project has yet to receive the necessary planning approvals.

Options currently being considered by the district are to have its kindergarten through fifth-grade classes:

• Using Phoenicia and Woodstock Elementary schools and closing Bennett Elementary School. The estimated savings would be $534,000 per year but would require adding up to five rooms at Phoenicia.

• Using Bennett Elementary School while closing Phoenicia and Woodstock Elementary Schools. The savings would be $979,000 annually but there would be up to 10 rooms needed at Bennett and modifications to its gym.

• Using Bennett and either Woodstock or Phoenicia at a savings of $414,000. There would be up to five rooms needed at Phoenicia if that building were still to be used.

Board members were reminded that having a “select” panel of stakeholders review the options to make recommendations is not a substitute for staying in touch with each of the schools.

Former Trustee Lindsay Shands said, “I called our PTA officers and asked them how many events board members have been to this year, and aside from Trustee (Sarah Hemingway) Lynch coming as a parent and Trustee (Emily) Sherry coming as a representative of provisions the answer was overwhelmingly no, none, zero.”

“Many parents in this community are already grieving the loss of our beloved schools and feeling hopeless,” she said. “If you want to understand where we’re coming from, come and experience or reexperience the love that Woodstock radiates, the joy that Phoenicia brings to the family, the courage that Bennett instills in our students.”