2013-2014 School Closing and Impact Recommendation August 14, 2012 Mark P. Mondanaro Superintendent of Schools Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda Union Free School District

Numerous community members and employees have introduced the idea of future school closings and district reorganization as a means to save costs in this changed economy and to preserve student programming .

The Superintendent of Schools has announced that he will initiate a study to determine if a school could be closed for the 2013-2014 school year

2013-2014 School Closing Recommendation No later than August 15, 2012, the Superintendent will make a school closing recommendation to the Board of Education for consideration for 2013-2014 Consideration will be given to the following questions:

Which school historically experiences the greatest student enrollment decrease? Which school is predicted to experience the greatest student enrollment decrease? (both of these questions relate to non open enrolled student enrollment counts only)

Which school, meeting the criterion above, is surrounded by the most separate attendance zones of similar grade level configuration schools? What is the total annual cost of running that school?

Which method most efficiently distributes students from the closing school attendance zone to the other school attendance zones? What is the net financial cost benefit for closing the school?

What predicted financial impact will the shifted students have on the receiving schools? (This is a NON whole district redistricting project-only students in the closing school will be affected)

The answer to these questions will aid the Board of Education to decide if closing the school for the 2013-2014 school year is advantageous for the approaching budget process

Lowest Trending School The lowest trending projected student enrollment schools are Jefferson and Roosevelt Elementary Schools However, Jefferson ES will average 16 students less per each of the five projected years, starting with 271 for the current school year.

2013-2014 School Closing Recommendation Continued Jefferson ES also has four contiguous (touching geographically) possible similar receiving grade configuration schools

2013-2014 School Closing Recommendation Continued Therefore, Jefferson ES is the recommended school for the 2013-2014 school closing

2013-2014 School Closing Recommendation Continued The Jefferson ES attendance zone was divided into sixteen geographic “pods” varying in size and quantity of qualified attendance students from as low as 7 to as high as 49

2013-2014 School Closing Recommendation Continued Students were disbursed to each of the four contiguous receiving schools, Edison, Lindbergh, Hoover, and Franklin ES; however, each receiving school’s capacity was based on section utilization percentages and classroom expandability capability.

Receiving Schools POD Numbers Assigned Lindbergh Elementary 9 Hoover Elementary 1, 2, 3, 6 Edison Elementary 4, 5, 11, 12, 13, 14 Franklin Elementary 7, 8, 10, 15, 16

Net payroll cost savings equal $2,447,451 accounting for seniority “bumping” rights Four teachers and two special education aides would be added to the receiving schools The “three section guideline waiver” was utilized

The net savings of the budget components of utilities, insurance, buildings & grounds, furniture, building budget, school improvement, BOCES service costs and special education materials and supplies amount to $43,539.

Total Cost Savings Associated With This Recommendation: $2,490,990 of structural budgetary cost savings, bearing in mind actual cost savings may be somewhat more or less as budget components are refined during the 2013-2014 school budget planning process

We will have a structural budget deficit again Relationship Of This Recommendation With Other 2013-2014 Budgetary Considerations: We will have a structural budget deficit again Four years of reductions have started to affect class size and student programs

Relationship Of This Recommendation With Other 2013-2014 Budgetary Considerations: The governor has indicated that the total statewide education state aid increase will be 3.5% next year, a reduction of .5% from this year’s increase

Relationship Of This Recommendation With Other 2013-2014 Budgetary Considerations: Our annual fund balance and reserve use is not keeping pace with state aid increases as originally thought

Questions?