Board votes to close Amenia Elementary. Is Millerton next?

WEBUTUCK — The Board of Education voted during its meeting Monday, March 9, to close Amenia Elementary School (AES) for the 2009-10 school year.

The decision came at approximately 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, after a lengthy executive session regarding personnel issues that began around 10:30 p.m.

The evening began with board President Dale Culver explaining that he hoped the business meeting would bring closure on the use of the district’s facilities. Amenia Elementary has long been the forerunner to close, although Millerton Elementary has been mentioned in many of the same discussions.

Amenia officials have strongly voiced a desire to take over the empty building, which would be used as a town hall. Currently the town rents space from the Amenia Fire Company.

Planning for consolidation

Consolidating onto a central campus has been part of the school district’s long-term plan for years now, and the board moved several steps closer to realizing that goal Monday.

During opening public comment, Amenia resident Darlene Riemer said closing Amenia Elementary would be a “benefit to both the town and the school district. It makes sense in these times. Turn it over to the people who have supported it for so many years.�

Wassaic resident Robert Boyles supported the idea to centralize, but argued that the building should be sold for fair market value. While no decision has been made, the board has been entertaining the possibility of “giving� the building away, for the cost of $1, to the town. Boyles argued that residents of the southern part of Amenia, who fall into the Dover school district, would not benefit from the decision.

Public concern included long bus rides for young children to Millerton Elementary (which currently houses pre-kindergarten and, if the Amenia building is closed, may house the kindergarten class as well) as well as construction developments (like Silo Ridge) boosting the district’s student population.

Culver explained that district population has been falling for years now, and according to the board’s calculations it would only continue.

“It’s hard for me to believe that new homes will bring a predominance of young children,� he said.

Several audience members asked whether the board was giving its assurance that the building wouldn’t sit empty. Culver explained that if the building was donated to the town of Amenia, it would be left up to a referendum vote to be held in May. If the building is sold for fair market value, the move would not require a public vote.

Dave MacMillan asked what the loss in staff would be if Amenia Elementary were closed.

“In this economy, it’s a pretty big issue,� he explained.

District Superintendent Richard Johns said that under his budget proposal, which includes the closing of Amenia Elementary, a librarian, physical education teacher, cleaner, typist, grade-level teacher and part of a nursing position would all be terminated. Existing costs of $590,000 would be eliminated by closing the building, he added, and roughly half of that number were personnel costs.

Close one or both

During the regular meeting’s facility discussion, Johns said there were basically two options for the board to consider: one, where Amenia Elementary was closed and kindergarten was moved to Millerton Elementary, and another where both the Amenia and Millerton buildings were closed and the district would be reconfigured with prekindergarten through third grade at Webutuck Elementary and fourth through 12th grade in the secondary complex.

While Johns called the latter option “a distant second in my mind,� some of the board members didn’t share his opinion.

“Based on the schematics we’ve look at, we can physically house all the students [on one centralized campus],� board member Joe Matteo said.

Culver added that there was the possibility of moving all students onto one campus, but instead of vacating the Millerton building, moving administrative offices there.

“That way, we still have the Millerton space to fall back on,� he reasoned.

Board member Joe Herald said he needed more information, including a potential cost analysis, before he further considered closing the Millerton building.

“I support closing the two buildings as long as we don’t sacrifice educationally,� board member John Perotti said, calling it “an opportunity that shouldn’t be missed to turn Amenia Elementary back to the town, since the taxpayers have paid for the building already.�

He added that he hoped to work with the town of North East and the village of Millerton in the same fashion as Amenia.

“I can see a great set of advantages to consolidating sooner rather than later,� Culver said. “I think it’s a unique time to accomplish that.�

Move to vote

At that point, Perotti made a motion that the board close both Amenia and Millerton elementary schools, a move that received gasps and shocked whispers from an audience that clearly wasn’t expecting it.

Even the board members seemed taken back. Matteo held his head in his hands before seconding the motion on the condition that there would be continued discussion.

“There’s too many open questions to make that call right now,� Herald said. “I’d like to see more information.� Perotti agreed, clarifying that he made the motion to keep discussing the issue.

Johns said the only way he envisioned closing the Millerton building is if administrative services were moved.

“We’re going to have to find some more space,� he said.

Bus driver Rudy Eschbach, when asked his opinion, said there would be a lot of savings with consolidation in the transportation department, estimating approximately eight buses driving at least 24 miles a day would be eliminated.

The board members agreed that they wanted to table the motion until after the executive session.

“It’s good to see people here are interested in the future rather than just the present,� Culver said.

After they returned from executive session, the members in attendance (Andy Jablonsky and Susan Lounsbury were absent) voted unanimously to close Amenia Elementary School.

The board then decided to table the motion to close Millerton Elementary, after agreeing that more information was needed.

A special board meeting was held Monday, to continue discussion. Although no decision was made at that meeting regarding the fate of the Millerton building, Culver did say he was 99 percent sure that he would vote toward consolidating classes onto a centralized campus. Johns remains opposed to the idea but acknowledged it was doable. The board agreed it would like to settle the matter by its next meeting scheduled for Monday, April 13, at 7 p.m., at the high school library.