Parents question need to close a school
About 100 residents turned out Wednesday to listen to Souderton Area School District officials discuss the reasons for closing one of seven elementary schools in the district.
When the residents spoke to the board and administrators lining the stage in the Souderton Area High School auditorium, they told the board to slow down the process of choosing that school and to rethink the need.
A $10,000, 2012 Pennsylvania Economy League demographic study found that the district faces declining enrollment. The study predicted that the district will lose 340 students by the 2016-17 school year. This year, the district has 84 fewer students than last year and officials are considering whether to close one school.
A committee meeting to announce which school the administrators recommend closing will be held Sept. 19.
Reasons for the decline of the school-age population include couples having fewer children, slowing development and planned housing development for those 55 and older.
The district will take into account transportation costs when redistricting and efforts will be made to keep children from the closed school together, said Assistant Superintendent Frank Gallagher.
Frank Ball, who manages facilities for the district, noted that an architect estimated that it will take $3 million to $3.5 million to make Lower Salford Elementary accessible as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Built in 1912, it’s also the oldest school in the district and was last renovated in 1962. It needs asphalt sealing, a generator and plumbing.
E.M. Crouthamel is due for a new roof and needs sidewalk work. West Broad Street is also due for a new roof, officials said.
The district owes $14.4 million for Franconia Elementary renovations and for building Oak Ridge and Vernfield elementary schools. The district’s total debt is $99 million because of the new high school.
In addition to the PEL study, the district gathered information from the Montgomery County Planning Commission and the Indian Val-
ley Planning Commission, said William Stone, business manager.
Harleysville parent Martin Hunt questioned the PEL study, noting that a previous study by that group from 2003-04 predicting growth that led to the district building the new high school turned out to be wrong.
“What happened?” Stone said. “The economic downturn impacted employment and the housing market. It was unSUHFHGHQWHG. 7KH fiUVW fiYH yHDUV [RI WKH study] were accurate. vear six, there was an economic downturn that is not something PEL expected or the district expected.”
Stephanie Heart, president of the Lower Salford Elementary Home and School Association, asked about the accessibility issue and questioned why it was brought up now.
Stone told her it was part of a study of all the schools. Gallagher said that it was “an equity issue.”
Andrea Farina, a principal, said that as an educator she wants to preserve teachers jobs and keep class sizes small. The district is “heavily staffed” in the administration, she said. Teachers’ jobs should be preserved, not administrators’ jobs, she said.
“3OHDVH SuW RuU NLGV fiUVW,” FDULQD VDLG. “Make decisions for them. Those are the people you are obligated to educate.”
Ami Goodman, a parent who lives in Harleysville, said that parents have many ideas that the board should listen to before taking this step.
“vou have a plethora of people who care,” said Goodman. “There are other ways. If you have to close a school and if the economy turns around, what are you going to do? vou have to listen to us. We are the taxpayers. Our kids are going to the school and we elect some of you. There are lots of ideas. I wrote a list of seven.”
Board Vice President Scott Jelinski responded, “We’re by far not politicians. It’s the least political position you can have. We’re not politicians. We’re nowhere near Harrisburg.”
Board member William Brong added, “It’s not a done deal. It’s just a resolution.”
One woman thanked the board for its work but asked it to postpone any deci- sion.
“I think it would behoove all the people up on the stage to take your time rather than by acting foolish, by acting rash,” she said. “I’m not quite sure what the rush is. Please postpone. The decision to close a school is such a big thing in a community. Don’t just make it a Band-Aid and you’re ripping it off.”
A Harleysville father, Martin Hunt, said he has two kids in the district. He said of the PEL study, “What interests me is how wURQJ WKHy JRW WKLV WKH fiUVW WLPH WKHy GLG this. Are we going to hang our hat on the PEL study knowing that unforeseen circumstances changed and the projections wHUH wDy RII. YRu FDQ RQOy VHH fiYH yHDUV out. Maybe we need to slow this down and make sure we’re making the right decision.”
Susan Baker, with PEL, said that organization’s projections are within industry standards for accuracy.
The 2003-04 study “differed from the actual” totals by 1 percent, Baker said. ,Q WKH VHFRQG fiYH yHDUV, LW GLIIHUHG Ey 5.4 percent but “there was a lot of trouble with the economy that no one could foresee.”
An earlier PEL study done in 200001, had only a 0.6 percent variation in WKH fiUVW fiYH yHDUV DQG 1.2 SHUFHQW LQ WKH QHxW fiYH yHDUV, VKH QRWHG.
Gerald Cross, also with PEL, emphasized that the organization gathers data but does not recommend school closings or building new schools. Those decisions are made by school board members.