Stonington school board candidates are open to middle school consolidation.

Stonington — The six candidates running for four seats on the Board of Education on Nov. 7 do not oppose a potentially controversial plan to close Pawcatuck Middle School and move students to Mystic Middle School.

Most offer varying degrees of support but want to hear more details about the plan.

Deciding whether to proceed with the consolidation could be the first major decision the newly elected board members make.

The proposal was prompted by a continuing decline in enrollment, which Superintendent of Schools Van Riley has said will continue to get worse and make it increasingly difficult to offer the programs that students need.

Riley has said the new middle school would have to be located at Mystic Middle School because Pawcatuck does not have enough space to house all middle school students. He has said there would be no reduction in the teaching staff, as teachers would move with students to Mystic. The influx of teachers would allow for more academic programs and extracurricular activities.

The town would save up to $1 million a year by reducing administrative, custodial and clerical positions. When the actual consolidation could take place is not yet known and likely would depend on the completion of the $67 million elementary school renovation project. Some parents have expressed concerns about long school bus rides and the effect of the merger on extracurricular activities.

Unaffiliated voter Alisa Morrison, a former two-time school board member who is being endorsed by the Republican party, said she is in favor of some type of consolidation.

“The changing demographics of the town and the new elementary school configuration support the creation of a single middle school,” she said, adding that “unifying the schools has many advantages.” She said that issues such as long bus rides, class size, staffing, class offerings, sports and extra-curricular activities, parking and traffic need to be addressed.

Unaffiliated voter Sonja Buccheri, a school psychologist who also has been endorsed by the Republican party, said she has reviewed the consolidation report and it “appears to be thorough and well rounded.”

“I believe that cost savings is important in the face of declining enrollment and the current economic climate of our state; however, savings should not come at the expense of our students. The decision to or not to consolidate should be based on providing students with a high-quality education and I agree with a decision that provides that,” she said.

Republican Gordon Lord III said the board needs to “consider creative and controversial ideas, such as building consolidation, if we’re going to get ahead or even just maintain the quality of education we have today.”

He added, though, that he does not have all the details he needs to formulate a position or make an educated decision.

“This will not be an easy decision, however it’s one that the state’s current fiscal position has driven us to consider,” he said.

Incumbent Republican school board member Alexa Garvey is the chairperson of the Middle School Consolidation Steering Committee. Because the committee still is gathering information and answering questions, she said she remains neutral on the consolidation. She did say that “considering the consolidation and determining if it is a viable option for our town is a good idea.”

Incumbent Democratic school board member Candace Anderson, a school psychologist, said that as a parent, “I completely support the merger of the middle schools,” especially from a social perspective for students.

While she said she does not have all the information on the proposal, “from what I’ve heard to date, I am in support.”

“My primary reason for this is that I believe it will give ALL students access to an equitable education in terms of curriculum. Again, declining enrollment forces the issue, but I see a lot of positives that can be derived from it,” she said.

Jack Morehouse, who owns Masons Island Marina and whose wife is a Deans Mill school teacher, said that “in theory, consolidating the middle schools could provide students with more learning, extracurricular opportunities and a greater social network of friends” and would save money.

He said, however, he is not prepared to back the plan until there is more information about bus rides, sports and extracurricular activities and asked what would happen if the student population were to rebound.

“If this were the case, we would be looking for extra space to place students,” he said, adding he would like to see a detailed accounting of the annual $800,000 to $1,000,000 savings from the merger.

“We will have answers to many of these questions over the next few weeks and months, and at that point, I am confident that our community will make a thoughtful, well-informed decision,” he said.

All the candidates except Anderson and Morehouse live in Pawcatuck.