Community presses Scotia‑Glenville board for clear plan as school‑closing decision nears

Public speakers at the Scotia‑Glenville Central School District board meeting on Jan. 12 pressed trustees and Superintendent Schwartz for a clear, time‑bound plan as the district moves toward choosing an elementary school to close.

Catherine Jones of Glenville told the board she and other community members value participation but said committee input cannot replace ‘‘the facts, the data, the research, the expertise’’ needed for a closure decision. Jones asked how the district will close ‘‘the $2,000,000 gap’’ that remains even after a closure and urged administrators to spell out whether that will require more staff cuts, higher taxes or new revenue plans. She also asked the board to factor estimated fencing costs—which she said could range from about $50,000 to $200,000—into planning.

Why it matters: The decision affects classroom sizes, transportation times and staffing across four elementary schools—Sacondaga (SAC), Lincoln, Glendale and Glen Warden—and parents said delays make it harder to implement transitions that protect instructional quality.

Superintendent Schwartz and the business official presented updated figures showing the district’s transportation policy (two miles for elementary, one mile for secondary, compared with state guidelines) and an elementary transportation net cost after aid of $129,163. They ran three closure scenarios: closing Glen Warden would increase net transportation cost by roughly $6,000; closing Lincoln by about $19,000; and closing Glendale by about $9,600. The administrators said those transportation changes would not move the district’s estimated budget gap substantially, which they described as about $2.9 million pending final state aid and retirement estimates.

Administrators also cautioned that decommissioning a building yields limited utility savings—roughly half the current utility spend in some scenarios—because buildings must be maintained at minimum temperatures and some systems remain powered. They warned the more significant savings would come from staffing changes rather than transportation or utilities.

Community members repeatedly raised equity and capacity concerns. Amy Marlette said the district must plan ‘‘by classroom’’ because Sacondaga has more classrooms than the mirrored buildings at Glendale and Glen Warden; Christina Strajak, a reimagining committee member, said a denied committee proposal would have better positioned Sacondaga for equitable enrollment over time.

Administrators said further boundary work, stop‑assignment and routing would follow once the board identifies a school to close, and they pointed to a Jan. 22 community meeting as the next public milestone. Multiple speakers asked for clearer timelines: several committee members said they need weeks to complete implementation planning if a closure is chosen.

The meeting closed with the board reserving further discussion for upcoming budget and community meetings; no final decision on which school will close was made at this session.