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Residents urge board to reconsider Valley elementary closure as officials weigh costs and timelines

Montoursville Area School District Board · September 25, 2024
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

At a Montoursville Area School District meeting, residents and board members debated closing Valley (Loyalsock) Elementary, with public commenters asking the board to quantify tax impacts and officials outlining costs, town-hall outreach and the legal requirement for a closure hearing three months before a decision.

The Montoursville Area School District board heard pleas from residents to keep Valley (Loyalsock) Elementary open while board members and staff outlined the district’s limited options and the financial tradeoffs.

Kathy Burns (public comment) told the board she feared a closure would raise taxes and urged officials to “please rethink it. Don’t close the school.” Staff answered that the district is facing declining enrollment and mounting repair needs that make operating two elementary buildings increasingly costly.

Staff member Dan said the district faces a financial decision, noting SiteLogic estimates that placed large repair and renovation costs on both buildings: “If this is $32,000,000…

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