BOE moves forward with reconfiguration

PINE PLAINS — The Board of Education (BOE) voted unanimously Wednesday, Jan. 21, to begin implementation of the reconfiguration of kindergarten through fifth grade in the district in time for the 2009-10 school year.

The decision comes on the heels of two studies requested by the board that were presented in December. The first was a report by the Elementary Facilities Utilization Committee (EFUC), almost three years in the making, that looked into the possibility of reorganizing the district so that all students in kindergarten through second grade would go to school at Cold Spring Elementary School, and all third- through fifth-graders would be held at Seymour Smith Elementary School.

The second report was a feasibility study by EduCorps on the cost savings to the district if one of the two buildings were closed. That study found that only Seymour Smith would have the capacity to hold all the district’s elementary students.

There was very little disagreement during discussions on Jan. 21, which marked the first time the board discussed the studies. There have been three public information gathering sessions held at Stissing Mountain Middle/High School, Seymour Smith and Cold Spring, that were taken into consideration by the board, in addition to the two reports, before any decisions were made.

As was stated before discussions began, the board could choose from three options: do nothing; reconfigure (EFUC’s plan); or close Cold Spring and consolidate students at Seymour Smith.

All board members were given a chance to speak and all came out in favor of reconfiguration.

Several board members said there wasn’t enough data to consider option three (closing Cold Spring). The
estimated savings for option three was projected to be around $457,000 annually, but several people agreed that number
was questionably high.

BOE president Helene McQuade said the only information they had on closing a building was the potential cost savings. She explained that if the board arrived at the consensus that closure was a
viable option, more research could be requested.

School board vice president Bruce Kimball said that closing the building was no longer on the table in his opinion and likened investigating the option further to "whipping a dead dog."

Kimball was adamant that the process of reconfiguration begin as quickly as possible, both "to quell rumors and consternation throughout the district," and to give administration, teachers and students as much time to adjust to the new changes as possible.

Advantages to the reconfiguration plan were overwhelming, according to board members. Kimball spoke of rival factions that have existed since the Cold Spring school was temporarily closed a number of years ago.

He said with reconfiguration "we would be far better prepared to face upcoming difficulties as a unified district."

Board member Mary Zayas said that reconfiguration would create a more equal education by eliminating class size discrepancies, which are currently favoring Cold Spring. She also acknowledged that the Seymour Smith building is in need of repairs and that consolidating all elementary schools would not give workers the space they need to fix the building.

Closing Cold Spring would put Seymour Smith at 92 percent capacity, which would leave little room if the district were to grow in the future. The cost to reopen Cold Spring has not been determined, but Zayas called trying to project the costs of an unknown a waste.

She also said that reorganizing would give the district a chance to see where the district is headed.

"In two years, we’ll have a much better idea of the size of the district," she said, pointing out that expected growth has not happened yet, and it’s still not clear if it will and what effect it would have on Pine Plains.

If there was one concern shared by both board members and the public, it was the transportation system. McQuade was quick to point out that no one would have a longer bus ride either to or from school with the proposed reconfiguration plan than they currently do, and that the problem was one the district would have to face no matter what option they chose.

Parent Nathaniel Hieter, who lives west of the Taconic State Parkway, was particularly upset to learn that his daughter was spending so much time on the bus. He said he was concerned with the board’s decision and was disappointed that it appeared the board wasn’t valuing the transportation factor as heavily as eduction.

"This is a quality of life issue for my children," he said. "It’s not just about the educational programs."

While he acknowledged that Pine Plains held "character that I can’t get anywhere else," he laughed in disbelief when board members told him that they worked hard to make sure that no child was on the bus for more than an hour each way.

"That’s two hours of my child’s day wasted," he replied.

If the board moves forward with the reconfiguration plan, it will be up to the school administration to come up with a timeline, which Superintendent Linda Kaumeyer said they were more than prepared for, and that work would begin immediately.

It was agreed that public comments have been very helpful in the process so far, and that there would be more open forums in the future. The district’s Web site, ppscd.org, will also be regularly updated as the board moves forward with this plan, as well as the upcoming budget season.

The next Board of Education meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 4, at 7 p.m. at the Stissing Mountain High School library.