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Cuyahoga Falls board reviews plans for closing either Preston or Price elementary; public meetings set
Summary
Board members and staff presented boundary scenarios and displacement estimates if Preston or Price elementary is closed; transportation supervisor warned lines drawn on main roads may not prevent capacity problems; two public meetings are scheduled for Aug. 21 and Sept. 3.
The Cuyahoga Falls Board of Education on Aug. 6 discussed draft plans showing student reassignments if the board decides to close either Preston or Price elementary schools, and set two community meetings to review the proposals.
Board members and staff presented two redrawings of elementary attendance boundaries and estimates of how many students would be displaced under each option. Margie Johnson, the district’s transportation supervisor, told the board there are “a million ways” to draw boundaries and that efforts to follow main roads are one way to reduce complicated bus stops but will not prevent uneven grade-by-grade enrollment spikes.
“That’s what I can tell you,” Johnson said, adding that small neighborhood-level shifts can produce very different class sizes by grade. Board members and staff said Preston’s closure would most disrupt some downtown and Silver Lake-area assignments; a board member’s calculation showed Preston could displace about 513 students while Price could displace about 567 under the examples the district presented.
District staff explained that moving some students back within a one-mile walk radius could reduce the number who would be bused, but any adjustments must avoid creating overcapacity at receiving schools. Superintendent’s staff and the transportation supervisor said finalized boundary lines would not be practical until the board decides which school to close, and that any final lines would aim to minimize disruption and avoid crossing railroad tracks where possible.
The board scheduled two public meetings to present the data and answer questions: 6 p.m. Aug. 21 at Preston Elementary School, 800 Talmadge Road, and 6 p.m. Sept. 3 at Price Elementary School, 2610 Delmore Street. The board indicated that standard public-comment procedures would apply at those special meetings (speakers sign in and are limited to three minutes), though the president has discretion to set participation rules for a large audience.
Board members said they expect community questions on capacity, transportation, and specific household impacts and pledged to prepare a consolidated presentation that pulls together previously released data. The district emphasized that numbers presented Wednesday were based on current enrollment and that kindergarten and other incoming enrollments remain variable and may require further adjustment.
A final boundary map, the board said, would follow only after the board makes a closure decision; staff said additional route simulations and follow-up communications to affected families would follow that decision.
The board did not vote on a closure at the Aug. 6 meeting and directed staff to continue refining scenarios ahead of the public sessions.
