Three Village superintendent says moving SAC indoors and property sales could avoid an elementary-school closure
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Summary
Superintendent Dr. Scalens told the community the district is weighing property sales and moving long-lived SAC portables into school buildings to avoid closing an elementary school; he said a governor's pre-K proposal could still increase space needs, possibly requiring 10 more pre-K sections.
Dr. Scalens, superintendent of the Three Village Central School District, said the district is considering sales or leases of properties, including the North Country administration building and the Nichols Road Building, and that decisions about those properties will affect whether an elementary school is closed.
"We wanna thank the members of the school closure repurpose committee for their hard work," Dr. Scalens said, adding the committee held two sessions reviewing data on whether to close one elementary school. He said recent enrollment has declined only "by a half a percent" and has largely leveled off, complicating arguments for a closure.
The superintendent said the board is examining the potential sale of the North Country administration building but noted Three Village Academy would need a new location if that site is sold. He also said the Nichols Road Building is up for sale and the district is working with attorneys and a broker to solicit offers through a bidding process before making a final decision.
A core recommendation from the committee, Dr. Scalens said, is moving SAC program spaces indoors: "The SAC portables have been up for over 30 years now. They were never intended to be here that long. They were only supposed to be on the properties for 10 years...now they've served their purpose." He said many portables are in disrepair and that moving SAC into classrooms for safety reasons will reduce the spare capacity that some community members cite as a reason to close a building.
Dr. Scalens also referenced a governor's proposal "in 2829," saying a full-day, full-access pre-K program could require more sections; based on local projections he estimated the district might need about 10 additional pre-K sections, which would increase staffing and space demands. "If it is a full day full access program...we might be having to increase this to 10 more sections in pre k alone," he said.
No formal decisions were announced. Dr. Scalens said the district will solicit offers on properties and continue discussions; he described moving SAC indoors as a district priority for student safety and said final closure decisions will depend on property outcomes and program needs.
