Dist. 26: Hold off on closing a school

Although closing a school would provide the district larger immediate cost savings, administrators in Cary Elementary District 26 are still recommending making no changes to building allocations next year.

Superintendent Brian Coleman on Monday presented the district's finance committee with three options that school leaders considered the most practical and promising. Those were leaving the district unchanged or closing either Briargate School or Prairie Hill Elementary.

No action was taken.

While the option of closing Prairie Hill would save the district about $1.1 million the largest savings of the three options Coleman said the district needs to “recover and recuperate” from districting changes that took place this school year.

“The district needs to weigh the cost of restructuring the entire district a second year in a row against the distress and strain it can cause on students, families and employees,” Coleman said.

The district would save $385,000 next year without closing a building through attrition and declining class sizes, which would give the district the opportunity to close a school in the 2012-2013 school year. Last month, administrators made the same recommendation. But changes to class size caps, busing updates and enrollment adjustments resulted in larger savings from closing a school.

“A school closing needs to happen,” Coleman said. “It's just a matter of it happening next year, the following year or in the third year.”

Waiting to close a school is essential, said Mary Dudek, director of curriculum and instruction.

“A lot of damage could be done if we take the cost-saving option and close a building,” Dudek said. “It is way too much for our students and teachers to handle right now. We need to find savings in other places. We need to maintain continuity. This past year has been a really tough situation.”

Although closing Prairie Hill would save the district the most money, the option would also create a number of difficulties such as pushing enrollment at Cary Junior High to capacity. Under the proposal, Cary Junior High would become a grade 6 through 8 campus. It would also eliminate the largest building in the district, which limits space flexibility, Coleman said.

Closing Briargate School and transferring all kindergarten students to Three Oaks School would save the district about $747,000.

But committee members said closing a school is no longer an option.

“I no longer believe we have a school to close,” committee member Kevin Carrick said. “I don't think it is a practical option anymore. We need to find the money elsewhere.”

Committee Chairman Scott Coffey said stretching building capacities would adversely affect students' learning.

“The savings has its allure,” Coffey said. “But the impact on children outweighs that.”

The district needs to save about $1.8 million in the next school year, for a total of $4 million in the next three years.

The administration will now work to find reductions without a school closure, Coleman said.

Delay: Let's find savings elsewhere, leaders say