1. 2013-2014 School Closing and Impact Recommendation
August 14, 2012
Mark P. Mondanaro
Superintendent of Schools
Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda Union Free School District

2. 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 .

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

4. 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
Consideration will be given to the following questions:

5. 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)

6. 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?

7. 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?

8. 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)

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

10. 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.

11. 2013-2014 School Closing Recommendation Continued
Jefferson ES also has four contiguous (touching geographically) possible similar receiving grade configuration schools

12. 2013-2014 School Closing Recommendation Continued
Therefore, Jefferson ES is the recommended school for the school closing

13. 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

14. 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.

15. 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

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

17. 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.

18. 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 school budget planning process

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

20. 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

21. 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

22. Questions?