Cuyahoga Falls board outlines options to close or repurpose an elementary school amid $4 million shortfall

Cuyahoga Falls City Schools Board of Education members on Sept. 3 heard a detailed presentation on plans to close or repurpose an elementary school and how that action could help meet a projected $4 million budget reduction over three years.

Superintendent Dr. Salako told the board and gathered parents and staff at Price Elementary that the district is in “fiscal caution” with the state and must identify large-scale savings, not just smaller spending cuts. “In the next 3 years, we had to cut $4,000,000,” Dr. Salako said during her presentation, which laid out enrollment declines, building conditions and transportation implications.

The presentation summarized why the district is considering closing or repurposing a building: a roughly 24% loss of students since 2015 (about 1,000 students), a state facilities assessment showing some older elementary buildings would qualify for replacement rather than renovation, and a facilities-capacity analysis that examined room counts, playgrounds and one-story/ADA-access needs for preschool and special programs.

Board context and timeline Dr. Salako said the district’s enrollment consultant projects an additional decline of about 350 students over the next 10 years. The timeline discussed at the meeting calls for the board to make a final decision by November, though she and Board President Alicia Coco told the audience the board might reach a decision sooner. Board members agreed to place the issue on the agenda…