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Gates Chili launches comprehensive long-range planning study; consultants to report by March 2026
Summary
Deputy Superintendent Mitch Ball outlined a districtwide long-range planning study led by Leadership Solutions Advisors, LLC to examine enrollment, facilities, start times and other factors; consultants will engage community members and provide a first pass of options by March 2026.
Deputy Superintendent Mitch Ball told the Gates Chili Central School District Board of Education the district issued a request for proposals and selected Leadership Solutions Advisors, LLC to conduct a comprehensive long-range planning study that will assess demographics, facilities, staffing and program needs over the next five to 10 years.
Ball said the study will examine community growth and housing trends, historical and projected enrollment by grade, grade-configuration models, special education space needs, transportation and bell schedules, and the district's capacity to accommodate programmatic changes. "To explore all options...to ensure that long term, we are aligning facilities, staffing, and operations with projected student and community needs given all considerations," Ball said.
The planning process will include a project leadership team (the district cabinet), stakeholder work groups, student voice groups, focus groups and a ThoughtExchange community engagement survey. Ball said Leadership Solutions Advisors will conduct building walkthroughs with principals in October and that the advisory committee will meet throughout the process; the advisory committee is expected to meet roughly five times. The district hopes to have a first pass of quantitative options and community feedback by March 2026.
Ball also noted an item that could affect future enrollment: a Whitestone Development housing proposal previously discussed with the district. He said the developer has returned with a modified plan that would reduce the original proposal to about 350 housing units and that the developer tentatively anticipates breaking ground in 2026. Ball said the district will plan conservatively and use data to guide decisions about potential enrollment impacts.
Board members were asked to support transparent communication about the study and to consider participating in the advisory committee; Ball said the district hopes 3 to 4 board members will serve on the panel. No formal board action on the long-range planning procurement was recorded at the meeting.
The study is intended to provide the district with options and data to inform future facility and program decisions rather than immediate policy changes.
