Mount Vernon board approves Option 2 reconfiguration to close three schools in 5-4 vote

MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. — The Mount Vernon City School District Board of Education voted 5-4 Tuesday to approve “Option 2,” a school building reconfiguration plan that calls for closing three district schools and advancing a reorganization needed to address enrollment and budget pressures.

The vote followed more than two hours of debate among trustees who said the board needed additional analysis, clearer communication with the public and more time to vet competing data before deciding. The motion passed after a roll-call poll that recorded five affirmative votes and four nays.

Why it matters: The board’s choice to move forward with Option 2 starts a sequence of budgeting, staffing and state-submission steps that trustees said must be completed before the district’s March 1 deadline to submit a final reorganization plan to the New York State Education Department. Opponents said the district has not answered key questions about enrollment counts, outstanding bond debt on buildings and whether prekindergarten enrollment was included in BOCES demographic numbers.

Trustees who pushed for a delay said they had received new documents only the previous weekend and that public stakeholders — including the PTA council — had asked for more time. “I would like to just ask the board to consider maybe delaying the vote tonight for, maybe for our next board meeting possibly,” said Trustee Maribel, who urged additional work sessions. Trustee McDonough, who provided a written analysis to the board, said in part, “considering the request…