Bainbridge Island schools considering closing Ordway Elementary, Commodore Options

Bainbridge Island School District is exploring the possibility of closing/consolidating schools, including potentially Ordway Elementary and/or the Commodore Options School, as the district anticipates a significant budget shortfall ahead of the 2024-25 academic year.

Bainbridge Superintendent Peter Bang-Knudsen and school board directors convened Monday night for a study session that included details on three potential options for closures/consolidation. It is anticipated that Bang-Knudsen will bring a formal recommendation of two options for the board to consider during its Dec. 14 meeting.

Last month, Bang-Knudsen informed district stakeholders of the need to reduce expenditures by $3.5-4.5 million by 2024-25. He cited a decrease in student enrollment as one the primary reasons the district is facing budget cuts.

In Washington, schools receive an estimated $10,500-$11,000 per student FTE (full-time equivalency). When enrollment drops, that means less revenue coming in — and Bainbridge's enrollment has been dropping for the better part of two decades. In 2005-06, Bainbridge's enrollment climbed to a peak of 4,067 (FTE). A decade ago, in 2013-14, the number was 3,703. At the start of October, the district's enrollment was 3,425.

"Each year as our enrollment declines, it gets more and more inefficient to run these small schools," Bang-Knudsen said. "We're starting to reach that tipping point."

Bang-Knudsen said others factors influencing budget decisions include an increase in overall operating costs and a dwindling fund reserve. School board policy states that the district must reserve at least 5% of the current year's expenditures for unforeseen circumstances. In August, projected its 2023-24 fund balance to be 5.27% — its lowest percentage in the past nine years.

Here are the three options currently being considered by the district:

Option A (highest savings): Closing Commodore Options School, which was built in 1958 and encompasses Eagle Harbor High School, the Odyssey Multiage Program and the Mosaic Home Education Partnership, and closing Ordway Elementary School, which was built in 1979 and is home to the El Velero Spanish Immersion program. In this scenario Sakai Intermediate School's configuration as a 5th/6th grade school would cease and Ordway students would move to the Sakai building and serve K-5th students; Odyssey K-6th, El Velero, Mosaic would also be housed at Sakai; Woodward Middle School would host Odyssey 7th/8th students; Eagle Harbor would relocate to Bainbridge High School; and Bainbridge's two preschool programs would be held at Blakely Elementary School.

Option B (medium savings): Either Commodore or Ordway would close and the building that remains would contain Odyssey K-8, Mosaic, El Velero; Blakely Elementary and x̌alilc (Halilts) Elementary would serve pre-K through 3rd grade for all neighborhood schools, including those sections currently housed at Ordway; and Sakai would add an additional grade level and become 4th-6th; Eagle Harbor would be relocated to Bainbridge High School.

Option C (lowest savings): Commodore would close; Sakai would remain a 5th/6th school and Odyssey K-6th would move into available space at the school; Woodward Middle School would remain a 7th/8th school and Odyssey 7th/8th would move into available space at the school; Mosaic would be housed at either Sakai or Woodward; Eagle Harbor would be relocated to Bainbridge High School.

If Bainbridge's school board decides to move forward with a plan involving the closure of a school/schools on Dec. 14, there is a 90-day period where the board must conduct at least one public hearing to receive testimony. If the board decided to proceed with closure plans after the 90-day period concludes, a vote would take place on March 14, 2024.

Bang-Knudsen said none of the school closure options will save the full $3.5-$4.5 million required to balance the budget heading into 2024-25. Additional cuts will be needed and could affect staffing, instruction, support, facilities, materials and supplies.

“This is just a hard process," board member Evan Saint Clair said. "We have a four and a half million dollar shortfall and we’ve got to figure that out. We as a community have to figure that out.”

Added board member Robert Cromwell: “There is no path that isn’t going impact people that we love and respect. And that’s just a fact.”

The district plans to hold community meetings on cost-saving measures on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. and Dec. 5 at 5 p.m. Both meetings will be held at the Bainbridge High School library reading room.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Bainbridge Island School District considering closures, consolidation