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Residents urge board to reconsider Valley elementary closure as officials weigh costs and timelines
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 to do something at Leiter, you can't afford that either,” he said, and added that borrowing around $20,000,000 would translate to roughly 0.14 mills for the next four years under one scenario. Dan told the board a kickoff meeting with Crabtree was scheduled for Oct. 7 to develop more detailed cost options.
Board members and the public pressed for detail on who would bear the cost. One board member highlighted SiteLogic figures presented earlier (the board discussed $19 million over 10 years for the Valley and roughly $15–$16 million for the other elementary in the feasibility materials) and asked staff to provide clearer, apples-to-apples comparisons for public release.
Legal counsel Richard Gautland advised the board about the procedural timeline for closing a public school: “Under school code section 7780, you are required, if you're permanently closing a public school or substantially all of its facilities, to hold a public hearing not less than three months prior to the decision,” he said, and to publish notice at least 15 days before that hearing.
Public commenters raised practical concerns if pupils were consolidated: longer bus rides for young children, increased drop-off congestion and water/septic capacity at Valley’s site. Ron Snell, who identified himself as a resident of Lower Manor Road, urged the board to consider closing the other elementary as an alternative and noted the community’s consistent preference at past outreach meetings to keep Valley open.
The board agreed on next steps: continue gathering and clarifying cost information, publish an FAQ on the district website and hold additional town halls and targeted outreach before any formal decision. Staff said the board could vote on direction as early as the October meeting, with the formal closure hearing required no fewer than three months before any final decision.
The board took no formal action to close any building at the meeting; it approved routine agenda, personnel and policy items and will revisit school-configuration options after the Crabtree kickoff and additional public engagement.
