Cuyahoga Falls board hears options to close or repurpose Preston or Price elementary amid multi‑million shortfall

Cuyahoga Falls City Board of Education members met in a special session at Preston Elementary School on Aug. 21, 2025, to review a financial recovery plan and preliminary options that could close or repurpose Preston or Price elementary schools.

Dr. Salico, who delivered the presentation at the board’s request, told the board the district "is in what is called fiscal caution" and that the treasurer’s recovery plan identifies a need "to save $3,000,000 $4,000,000 in 3 years." The presentation — posted on the district website under the treasurer tab — laid out enrollment trends, building capacity, transportation impacts and draft redistricting maps for two closure scenarios.

The issue stems primarily from long‑term enrollment decline and resulting fixed costs. Dr. Salico said enrollment has fallen roughly 25% over 10 years — "we've lost, just about a thousand children" — and noted a projected decline of about 350 students over the next decade. The treasurer’s analysis, the presentation said, evaluated large budget “pockets” for savings (staffing through attrition, a 10% budget reduction, and sale or repurposing of facilities) but said proceeds from selling certain buildings cannot be counted toward the state’s recovery target.

Why it matters

The board’s review focuses on reducing operating costs while maintaining services. The presentation singled out Preston and Price as the two elementary schools most feasible for closure or repurposing because they are single‑story, relatively ADA accessible and smaller than other schools in the district. Board members and staff emphasized that any boundary redraw would affect students across multiple schools, not only those at the school that would close.

Presentation highlights and options

- Financial target: $3 million–$4 million in savings over three years, identified in the treasurer’s recovery plan (presentation on district website).

- Enrollment: a roughly 25% decline over 10 years (about 1,000 students), with a projected additional decline of about 350 students over the next 10 years.

- Capacity and facilities: district staff reviewed building ages, classroom counts and square footage and relied on studies from the Ohio Schools Facilities Commission. The state commission’s facility reviews, the presentation said, determine whether renovation or replacement is warranted and show costs for roof and HVAC work.

- Sale/repurpose: board staff proposed considering repurposing a school (the presenter used Preston as an example) and selling another building to generate revenue; the presenter said one building currently being considered for sale is Shenay (transcript spelling varies: Chenay/Chanay/Shenay).

- Transportation and redistricting: staff flagged transportation impacts, driver and bus availability, route lengths and student ride times (staff said drivers generally try to limit rides to about 45 minutes). The board reviewed two draft redistricting maps — one if Preston closed and one if Price closed — and staff said every receiving school shown on the drafts has the capacity to take on the additional students in those scenarios.

Public comment and board remarks

Two members of the public addressed the board during the allotted three‑minute public comment period. Terry Mackey, who identified herself as a teacher and longtime community member, said classroom size and the condition of Preston factored into her view: "This building is in great shape," she said, and urged the board to consider classroom dimensions when weighing options. Rachel Loza, who identified herself as a Preston parent, neighbor and Ward 1 councilperson, spoke of Preston’s role in the neighborhood and asked the board to consider students who "receive special education services," saying, "Preston is more than just a building. It is a community. I respectfully urge you to keep Preston Elementary open for the good of our children, families, and our entire community."

Board process and timeline

Board members said the maps and numbers presented are drafts and not final. The board committed to making a decision by November 2025 but said it may decide sooner; it will not resume formal discussion on the item until after two scheduled community presentations (the same presentation will be given at Price on Sept. 3) and after staff and the board complete building tours and additional analysis. The presenter invited residents to email board members (email addresses are on the board tab of the district website) with questions.

Procedural actions

The board opened the special meeting, approved the agenda by roll call and later adjourned. No vote on school closure or boundary changes occurred at the Aug. 21 meeting.

What remains unresolved

Staff and board members emphasized that the draft scenarios would displace students — the presenter said an estimated ~230 students attend Preston and that those students would be displaced under the Preston scenario — and that exact displacement counts were still being determined (transcript uses "TBD" for some displacement tallies). The board said it will continue to analyze transportation costs, classroom capacity, demographic impacts and staffing implications before making a final decision.

Next steps

The board scheduled another presentation Sept. 3 at Price, will tour Preston and Price with staff, and expects to return with more detailed numbers and redistricting proposals before the November decision window.