Chauncey residents gathered at the Athens City Schools Board of Education meeting Thursday night to show their support for Chauncey Elementary, which might not see another school year because of budget shortfalls.
Superintendent Carl Martin announced his proposal to close Chauncey Elementary in an email sent to the Board of Education, administration, faculty and staff of the entire district Tuesday morning.
Though the proposal has already drawn opposition from Chauncey residents, prompting the creation of a Facebook group called “Save Chauncey Elementary,” district Vice President Chris Gerig ensured those at the meeting that no decision had yet been made.
“I don’t have my mind made up yet,” Gerig said. “We are not reconsidering this; we are still considering it.”
In Martin’s plan, Chauncey Elementary would be combined with The Plains Elementary School, effective for the 2012-13 school year, a move estimated to cut $1 million from the district’s expenditures and reduce the projected budget deficit for 2016 from $12 million to $8 million.
Although the two schools are fewer than three miles apart and The Plains is the newest school in the district, many Chauncey residents see the move as negative. Speakers at the board meeting objected to possible overcrowding at The Plains, a claim that Martin disputed.
The Plains Elementary enrolls 338 students and each of the grades K-6 has fewer than 60 students. Five years ago, 60 or more students per grade was common, Martin said, adding that, if Chauncey and The Plains were combined, two of the six grades would still fall under 60 students.
“(All of the students) can fit in the building, and we will make sure there are enough teaching stations,” Martin said.
The majority of the $1 million in savings will come from salaries, Martin said.
“The bulk of the saving has to come from personnel,” Martin said. “There aren’t too many areas left to go into unless we go into curriculum, pay-to-play athletics, or cutting classroom aides. I am trying not to go there because it hurts the children and their classroom opportunities”.
Though the move from Chauncey to The Plains would save the most money for the school district, John Pugh, president of the Athens Education Association, also said it would be the best move education-wise for students.
“We are working as hard as we can to ensure that jobs are not lost. The kids will not lose out on this deal”, Pugh said.
Because they are the smallest schools in the district, West Elementary and Chauncey Elementary are the district’s best transfer options, Martin said. Combining the two schools has already been considered as a solution, but 5 additional classrooms would be needed to house the combined 400 students, Martin said.
Closing Chauncey might make sense economically for the district, but many would prefer to see the school stay open.
“That building is an asset, but what is inside that building is a gem,” Chauncey resident Autumn Bycofski said. “The teachers make the school what it is.”
Martin also proposed a planning committee in his email Tuesday morning that would study the current structure of the district and identify ways to modernize education in the area.
The committee also will consider cutting costs by changing the educational structure of the district’s schools, such as two schools' having grades K-4 and two others' having 5-8. Athens City Schools operates five K-6 elementary schools, and Athens Middle and High schools serve 7-8 and 9-12, respectively.
The school board announced a discussion meeting for 6:30 pm Jan. 11 at the Athens High School library to give community members an opportunity to get informed and share ideas with the board before the official decision Jan. 26.
nc606411@ohio.edu
