Maplewood school closure gains support from committee

When the Cary Elementary District 26 administration recommended closing Maplewood Elementary School at a finance committee meeting last month, the committee told the administrators to check their work.

During the next four weeks, Superintendent Brian Coleman and his team did just that.

But when Coleman returned to the finance committee Monday night, the result was the same.

After considering a number of issues raised by the school board and residents, Coleman again recommended closing Maplewood, the oldest and smallest school in the district.

This time, the committee was prepared to act on the recommendation, sending the proposal to the full board with a 2-1 informal vote.

"The responsible thing for the board to do is to close a school - even if we weren't in such a severe financial situation," Finance Committee Chairman Chris Jenner said.

District officials expect a recurring budget deficit to grow to $5 million at the end of next year and on Monday laid out about $5.4 million in proposed cuts, including closing Maplewood at the end of this year.

Under that proposal, art and music would nearly vanish from District 26 schools, class sizes would edge upward, physical education would be reduced and the gifted program would end.

The board is set to act on closing Maplewood at its Nov. 16 meeting.

Maplewood parent Kristen Fadden said though she understands the district must do something about its declining enrollment, her children will miss the close-knit feel of their neighborhood school.

"They love Maplewood," Fadden said, adding that her third-grader, "doesn't understand why he can't do one more year there and go to a new school."