Suffern board nears vote on school consolidation as parents voice concerns
Suffern Central's school board is set to vote Nov. 7 on a plan to close an elementary school and reconfigure the remaining four.
The board was originally scheduled to vote Oct. 24 on the plan, which is designed to adapt to shrinking enrollment in Suffern's elementary schools. Instead, a public hearing took place during the meeting with more than 200 showing up to Suffern High School. About three dozen spoke, most in opposition to the plan.
Suffern schools: District to shut elementary school as growing population sends kids to private yeshivas
Details of the consolidation plan, announced Oct. 3, include:
Viola Elementary would be shuttered and likely leased to Rockland BOCES.
Sloatsburg Elementary would be used for pre-K through second grade. Those students would then move together to Montebello Elementary for grades 3-5.
R.P. Connor would be a pre-K through second grade building. Its students would move on to Cherry Lane for the upper grades.
The district serves the villages of Hillburn, Suffern, Montebello and Sloatsburg, plus parts of Airmont and Wesley HIlls and unincorporated Ramapo, including a portion of Monsey.
Opposition and petition
Concerns voiced at the Oct. 24 board meeting included: the specter of longer bus rides straining little kids; siblings who are close in age attending separate schools; losing neighborhood schools that attracted many to buy their homes in the school district; and the general concept of "grade banding," which has students moving schools more frequently.
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Supporters of the plan cited a need to address a dwindling public-school population. They cited current and likely future challenges of offering equitable instruction and extracurricular offerings among shrinking schools.
Nearly 1,000 have signed a Change.org petition against the plan. "We acknowledge that our district population is changing and we desire to work together to decide how to best restructure our schools to make us a viable and vibrant district," the petition states.
Andrea Barouch, who has three elementary students in the district, said the district should consider a public referendum for such important changes. "Because ultimately, every single one of us is responsible," she told board members at the public hearing.
Why the change
While census figures show a marked increase in population in certain areas of the district, Suffern's public-school population has dropped. New families often opt for Orthodox Jewish yeshivas, Suffern schools Superintendent Erik Gunderson has said.
According to New York State Department of Education data, about 28% of children who live in the Suffern school district attend private schools.
The enrollment shift is especially seen at the the elementary school level, where the public-school population dipped some 25% in recent years.
Gunderson has said the consolidation plan would enhance teacher training and cooperation; improve programming for special education and English language learners, a growing population in the district; and provide more equity among Suffern kids when it comes to extra-curricular offerings.
East Ramapo lessons
Gunderson and others have pointed to East Ramapo, the district next door, when discussing the need to manage an enrollment shift. While Gunderson said Suffern is in good financial shape, the strain of paying for staff at shrinking schools puts pressure on the district.
In East Ramapo, a dwindling public-school population and constant fiscal crises fed the school board's decision a decade ago to sell off two elementary schools.
Now East Ramapo, facing soaring public-school enrollment, is looking for more classroom space, East Ramapo Superintendent Clarence Ellis said at an Oct. 24 meeting. Ellis said that he had discussed a possible lease agreement with a nearby district. Suffern is the only district in Rockland publicly discussing shutting a school.
East Ramapo: Superintendent to leave in 2024 amid soaring enrollment, fiscal stress
Gunderson said he and Ellis had informally discussed space issues, but no formal conversation had taken place.
But the lessons of East Ramapo appear clear: "Our plan of renting our facility absolutely accounts for the potential future of increased enrollment," Gunderson said, "as we will still own our building and could phase our students back in if needed."
Nancy Cutler covers People & Policy for lohud.com and the USA Today Network New York. Reach her at ncutler@lohud.com; follow her on Twitter (X), Instagram and Threads at @nancyrockland.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Suffern NY school consolidation and grade banding plan criticized
