School board recordings and cost analysis warn of steep budget losses as enrollment falls; consolidation options considered

The school board is weighing whether to consolidate campuses and reconfigure services after a cost analysis and meeting recordings showed a sharp enrollment decline that could leave the district with major revenue shortfalls.

Hosts reviewing the district’s materials said the analysis projects about 917 K–12 students by 2025 and estimates a revenue loss of roughly $16,000 to $18,000 per student. "If they lost 50 students right now, state aid would be cut by about 275,000," Reporter said, citing the report and recording excerpts.

The report breaks down personnel costs and building operations to show how that loss translates to services: a first‑year teacher’s total cost (salary plus benefits) was estimated at about $55,000, and the hosts noted that a $275,000 reduction in state aid equates to roughly five full‑time teachers. "That’s the real impact right there," Presenter said when explaining staffing implications.

Board recordings and the analysis list per‑building operating costs that vary widely: the hosts summarized Scranton Tendon Center at about $224,533; Overbrook at roughly $1.77 million; Carbondale about $2.29 million; and the high school about $2.9 million. Those differences are central to the consolidation discussion, the recordings show.

The district is studying multiple configurations: keeping four campuses, consolidating to three, moving to two campuses (for example pre‑K–5 in one building and grades 6–12 in another), or ultimately moving everyone to a single campus. Hosts explained food‑service consolidation as a major cost lever — using centralized kitchens at the high school and Carbondale and contracting with vendors such as OPA could reduce labor and equipment costs and might yield contract cost credits from providers.

Under a two‑campus model the report estimates transportation savings of about $75,000 and technology savings of about $77,000; the three‑campus scenario produces smaller savings (roughly $37,500 transportation and $20,000 technology). The presenters also listed potential staff reductions in a two‑building model — for example, one nurse, three custodians, three office staff and two transportation positions — which the report estimated could save at least $330,000 per year, plus food‑service savings.

Those savings are tempered by practical constraints: the hosts noted the high school would need renovations (band room, wrestling room, locker rooms, ventilation in the wood shop) to host more students, and several board members told recordings they want detailed, visual plans and a 10‑year strategy to avoid spending on buildings that might be closed later.

Financing and timing featured in the discussion: the recordings indicate an existing bond ends in 2028, and board members discussed a possible bond of about $11.5 million. Because property values are rising, the board suggested a new bond might not require higher taxes; presenters also cited an example estimate of about a 2.6‑mill increase (roughly $46 a year on a $150,000 home) depending on the bond’s structure.

Public comment emphasized local impacts. According to the recorded meeting excerpts the board heard that closing neighborhood elementary schools could hurt small towns, complicate transportation (some students already face bus rides of more than an hour), and that planners should account for future growth, not just current decline.

The board plans outreach before any decision: recordings and the hosts’ summary say the board will form a steering committee, build a reconfiguration website with online surveys and meeting summaries, and post recordings and minutes so the community can provide input. No formal decisions or votes were reported in the materials reviewed.

What happens next: the board will request more detailed financial projections and visuals for each configuration, pursue community feedback through the steering committee and website, and consider phased approaches (for example moving junior high to the high school first). The recordings and report make clear the board has not decided on closures or consolidation and that any changes are likely to be phased and contingent on further study.