School Consolidation
Public Information Session
New Hartford Board of Education
Agenda
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Overview and Motivation
History
Options, Discussion, and Why
Costs, Savings, and Benefits
Other Options
Meeting Purpose
• Present background and information, provide
status
• Gather public feedback and ideas
• Answer questions
• Seek public input as we move toward a BOE
recommendation
Overview and Rationale
• New Hartford currently maintains
3 elementary school buildings
• BOE is considering consolidation
of the two primary schools
• Budgetary pressures
• Rising cost of education
• Decreasing enrollment
• Cost savings + Educational benefits
Enrollment Projection*
Year
Projctd.
Actual
2010-11
624
624
2011-12
590
590
2012-13
572
572
2013-14
543
544
2014-15
506
500
2015-16
489
468
2016-17
469
2017-18
455
2018-19
434
2019-20
418
Projected/Actual Enrollment
624
590
572
544
500
2010
-11
2011
-12
2012
-13
2013
-14
2014
-15
489
468
2015
-16
2012-13 Projection
469
2016
-17
455
2017
-18
Actual
*Projection based off a 2012-13 report
434
2018
-19
418
2019
-20
History
• 2012/2013 Consolidation Task Force
• Concluded that it did not make sense to pursue
consolidation at that time
• Enrollment was not quite low enough at the time
• A $58,000 expense would be incurred if prior to the
2014-15 year
• Committee adjourned, with the understanding that
it would likely make sense to consolidate in the
future
• The BOE long range planning subcommittee
reopened this topic
Options
• Close Bakerville permanently
• Close NHES permanently
• Keep Bakerville open, moving K-1 to NHES
and 2 to Antolini
• Do nothing
Proposal
• Long range planning subcommittee (LRPS)
recommends:
• Moving all K and 1st grade to NHES
• Moving all 2nd grade to Ann Antolini
• Pre-school moves to Bakerville
• Central Office moves from Town Hall to Bakerville
• Bakerville would remain open as a school
building
Town Hall
NHES
Bakerville
Ann Antolini
Why not close Bakerville entirely?
• Reason #1: If closed, there would be significant
costs to reopen the school at a later time
• If Bakerville is closed as a school building, there will be
additional costs incurred to bring the building back up to
code to re-open it as a school at a future date
• By keeping the school open, we are “grandfathered”
• Although there is no documented indication that there is
going to be an influx of children in the foreseeable
future, this is insurance against the additional cost to the
town
Why not close Bakerville entirely?
• Reason #2: When asked, the town did not
express an alternate use for the building
• The LRPS approached Board of Selectmen
members, specifically to inquire about potential
alternate uses for the building by the town
• The response was that they did not see a specific
town need for the building
• If the BOF/BOS indicates that they would like to
repurpose the building for town use, the BOE is
willing to consider vacating, and will communicate
the risks in doing so at that time
Overview:
Costs, Savings, and Benefits
• Savings - Estimated $66,000 Annual Savings due to
decreased custodial, nurse, and admin assistant staff
• Costs – No additional annual cost, estimated one-time
costs of $14,500 for moving costs and wiring upgrade
• Non-Financial Benefits
• Single location for 2nd Grade and K/1st grade
Teachers would facilitate collaboration and improve
efficiency for specialized staff
• Students will have a richer educational experience
with additional peers at each grade level
• The principal for the primary grades would be more
effective being in the building the entire day
Estimated Annual Savings
Description
Estimated Annual Savings
Administrative Assistant
(Reduced by 0.5 FTE)
$19,000
Nurse
(Reduced by 0.5 FTE) – still need
to maintain 0.5 FTE for preschool
$18,000
Custodian
(Reduced by 0.5 FTE)
$23,000
Computer Lab licenses and Library
resources
$6,100
TOTAL
$66,100
Estimated Costs
Description
Estimated Annual Savings
Rewiring at NHES for teachers’
room and workroom
$3,000
Estimated moving expenses
$11,500
TOTAL
$14,500
Bus Routes
• Current bus routes average 40-45 mins, with
some as low as 35, some as high as 55
• New proposed routes would maintain same
number of buses, with only an average 3-5
minute increase in bus times
• Although bus stops
would change,
estimated maximum
bus route time would
not change
Other Options or
Considerations
Option: Close Bakerville
• If Bakerville were to be closed as a school:
• Central office would remain at town hall
• Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st grade would reside at NHES
• 2nd grade moves to Antolini
• Concerns (although, overall, this option is viable):
• NHES would be at capacity. If NHES needed even 1 more
classroom or other room, we would lose our conference room,
leaving NHES with no place for PPTs or other meetings
• Aforementioned costs associated with reopening Bakerville as a
school
• NHES is on a flood plain, thus cannot expand outward
• NHES lacks structural elements necessary to add a second floor
Option: Close NHES
• If NHES were to be closed as a school:
• Central office would remain at town hall
• Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st grade move to Bakerville
• 2nd grade moves to Antolini
• Concerns:
• NHES has more rooms than Bakerville, thus space
would be even tighter than if closing Bakerville
• Bakerville is a wooden structure, more prone to fire
damage, limited sprinkler systems
• Either Library or Media room would need to become
the Art/Music room
Option: Move Grades 5/6 to NHES
• The LRPS investigated the option of moving K-4 to
Antolini and moving 5-6 to NHES
• Some have raised apprehension about having 2nd
graders in the same building as 6th graders
• Concerns with this option:
• There is not enough room at NHES for our current 4th
and 5th grades.
• Additional cost incurred to renovate bathrooms at
NHES to be proper size for older children
• Not deemed enough of an issue to merit the additional
cost
Questions