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Long‑range planning committee: enrollment drop prompts study; no recommendation to close schools yet
Summary
The district’s long‑range planning committee reviewed an 11‑year enrollment decline (about 16,000 to 14,500 students), examined cost and redistricting scenarios, and agreed to delay any recommendation on possible elementary‑school closures pending more data and community input; next meeting set for Jan. 8.
Mister Bushegan, reporting for the long‑range planning committee, told the Union School Board that the district’s enrollment has declined from roughly 16,000 students to about 14,500 over 11 years and that the committee has been reviewing implications for facility use and budget stewardship.
“We looked at utility savings, what the staff savings would be, and even looked at the capital improvements that we have scheduled for specific sites in the district,” Bushegan said, describing a review of multiple elementary sites and redistricting options. After discussion and a committee vote, members concluded more time is needed before recommending any elementary‑school closure; the committee left open several potential uses for a building if one were closed and emphasized the need for public input.
Bushegan said committee members reviewed how many students actually live inside each elementary boundary and examined the potential savings of closing a school and the costs of redistricting. He said the group narrowed possibilities from several sites to a shortlist of three, then agreed to postpone recommendations so families, staff and community partners can be consulted and enrollment trends can be monitored.
Board members asked whether the decline is concentrated in certain grade levels and whether changes in class size had produced academic effects; Bushegan said lower‑grade levels have declined over years but this year the secondary side saw more loss, and the committee did not analyze reading and math score fluctuations as part of this review.
The committee’s next meeting is scheduled for January 8, when redistricting and other items will be discussed further. No formal board action or school closure decision was taken at this meeting.
