With the Board of Education set to review data on the possibility of closing a school during its meeting on Tuesday, June 2, parents voiced concerns on the topic during a Community Forum on Thursday, May 28.

Superintendent of Schools Joseph V. Erardi, Jr, explained near the start of the forum that, “You’re here because in 2006 and 2007 the district hit an all-time high with students, of 5,667 youngsters, and the projection in 2023-24 is 3,435 students, meaning your delta between your high mark and your projected low mark is 2,232 fewer students.”

Dr Erardi said the district’s enrollment is now 4,748, nearly 1,000 fewer than enrollment in 2006-07.

During a November 6 Board of Education meeting, an enrollment report, prepared by Milone & MacBroom, presented three enrollment projection models, all showing decreases, ranging from a roughly 28 percent decrease to a 17 percent decrease over the next ten years.

As Dr Erardi said at the Community Forum on Thursday, a district committee has been working to gather data regarding different aspects of closing a school as a result of the anticipated enrollment decline. That data will be presented to the school board during its meeting on Tuesday, June 2, at the Newtown Municipal Center. The public portion of the meeting is scheduled to start at 7 pm.

Enrollment decline is not unique to Newtown, noted the superintendent, who also said the decline started before the events of 12/14. Student enrollment in suburban areas across the state, Dr Erardi said, is similarly affected.

“Your only growth in the state of Connecticut in regards to student population is in the urban settings,” said Dr Erardi.

By 2035 the superintendent said enrollment is expected to again “tick up” to the high numbers from 2006 and 2007.

When looking at the data, Dr Erardi said the district committee focused on maintaining or enhancing instruction for kindergarten through 12th grade. The committee also decided, according to the superintendent, not to look at closing either Newtown High School or the new Sandy Hook Elementary School, expected to open in the 2016-17 school year.

Redistricting is a lengthy process, Dr Erardi said, and on Tuesday the school board will begin looking over the data collected. He said he does not expect the school board to make a decision until later this summer, and if the board decides to close a school the earliest that would happen is for the start of the 2016-17 school year.

Projected savings if any school is closed, Dr Erardi said, is in excess of $1 million with, “a cost avoidance of multiple million dollars.”

Only the school board, according to Dr Erardi, can decide to close a school, and what the school district would do with the savings will be examined further by the school board during its deliberations.

Thursday’s forum was the second held to address district enrollment. A Community Forum on the topic was also held on Thursday, April 30.

“This evening is really about your voice before the school board,” said Dr Erardi.

Board of Education members John Vouros, David Freedman, Michelle Ku, and Debbie Leidlein, along with Hawley Elementary School Principal Christopher Moretti and Assistant Superintendent of Schools Linda Gejda, attended the forum. Dr Erardi broke the members of the public present into four groups to share their views with the Board of Education members.

Each group reported back to the room after speaking with the school board members.

Concerns voiced throughout the night included whether the school board will take the age, maintenance costs, and air quality of buildings into consideration; how class size would be affected by closing a school; compliance of the buildings; school hours; reduction of district staff; and the timing associated with closing a school.

When the groups reported back to the superintendent, some said people like the idea of four levels of schools in the district while others like three levels.

After Mr Vouros asked whether his sense that the public present as a whole were against closing an elementary school, there was a resounding Yes in answer. Nearly all of the people present raised their hands to show they are parents of elementary aged children, when asked by Dr Erardi. Few people in attendance said they have older children in the district.

Near the end of the event, school board member Debbie Leidlein reminded the group that there are many variables involved when looking at closing a school, and school board member David Freedman said it was incredible to hear the views expressed by so many parents.