By Ashley M. Casey

Associate Editor

A retired school superintendent turned consultant reviewed the results of the Baldwinsville Central School District’s “Funding the Future” facilities study in a public meeting Oct. 17 at Baker High School. Dr. Paul Seversky of the SES Study Team presented his findings about enrollment projections and possible future configurations of the school buildings.

Seversky’s study sought to answer the question, “Are there options that might provide program-effective and cost-effective ways or patterns to organize how the K-12 program is implemented/delivered over the next five years?”

Seversky stressed that he was not there to tell the BCSD community what to do, but that the study is a “roadmap” to help the district make program delivery decisions.

“I’m a guest. It’s your kids, it’s your community, it’s your money,” Seversky said. “The only wrong answer is if it doesn’t reflect the values of the community.”

Read on for the highlights of Seversky’s presentation.

Elementary enrollment projected to climb

According to Seversky, the five BCSD elementary buildings are at 99.1% capacity under the district’s class size operating goals. Ray Middle School is at 97.9% capacity, and Durgee Junior High School is bursting at the seams with 103.8% capacity. Baker High School has more breathing room at 85.7% capacity.

Since the 2013-2014 school year, secondary enrollment (grades 6-12) has dipped slightly, but K-5 enrollment is creeping upwards. While live births in Onondaga County declined somewhat between 2007 and 2016, live births in the Baldwinsville district rose between 2008 and 2017. Kindergarten enrollment has climbed since 2009.

Young families are moving to Baldwinsville because of the area’s affordability, access to major highways and the quality of the local school district, Seversky said.

“Your community is a housing market that’s affordable, that’s quality,” Seversky said. “The realtors tell me the school district is an asset for people looking for a house.”

Buildings could need $88M in work

Using data from the district’s 2015 Building Condition Survey, which New York state school districts are required to complete every five years, Seversky identified more than $88 million worth of suggested improvements that could be made to the BCSD’s existing buildings:

• • Reynolds Elementary School: $4,843,000
• • Van Buren Elementary School: $3,704,000
• • Elden Elementary School: $3,621,000
• • Palmer Elementary School: $10,906,000
• • McNamara Elementary School: $8,165,000
• • Ray Middle School: $17,469,000
• • Durgee Junior High School: $11,521,000
• • Baker High School: $27,831,000

The district is due for another Building Condition Survey in 2020.

Of the district office, Seversky said, “It needs help.” New York state does not provide building aid for standalone office space, but improvements could be partially aidable if the district office is relocated within one of the schools. One of the suggested models, Scenario D, would house an alternative school for grades 7 through 12 in the same building as the district offices.

“It’s all about allocating public resources and doing as much for kids as possible,” Seversky said.

Configuration scenarios

The study listed several scenarios ranging from adding classrooms within the current building configuration to housing all ninth-graders in one building to splitting the elementary grades in a “sister schools” model.

• • Scenario A: Add classroom and instructional support space at each school as currently configured (i.e. K-5 at Reynolds, Van Buren, Elden, Palmer and McNamara; grades 6-7 at Ray, grades 8-9 at Durgee, grades 10-12 at Baker).
• • Scenario B: McNamara, Reynolds, Palmer and Van Buren would house pre-kindergarten through grade 3. Ray would house upper elementary students (grades 4-6), Durgee would house grades 7 and 8, and Baker would remain grades 10-12. Elden would become a “Grade 9 Academy.”
• “School districts about this size have seen the advantage of having kids start the first year of high school all in one building,” Seversky said, adding that a Grade 9 Academy helps budding high schoolers reinforce study skills, set goals and deal with surging hormones.
• • Scenario C: The five elementary schools would house pre-K through grade 4. Ray would be home to grades 5 and 6. Durgee could house either grades 7 and 8 or grades 7-9, and Baker would be either 10-12 or 9-12.
• • Scenario D: As in Scenario B, four elementary buildings would house pre-kindergarten through grade 3 and Ray would house grades 4-6. Durgee and Baker would have the same options as in Scenario C. Elden would become the district office and home to an alternative education program for grades 7-12.
• • Sister schools: In Scenario E (East-West) and Scenario F (North-South), McNamara and Palmer would house pre-K through grade 2. McNamara students would continue on to Reynolds for third and fourth grade, and Palmer students would continue on to Van Buren. Ray would house grades 5-6, and Elden could be a Grade 9 Academy or a district office/alternative school. Durgee and Baker would have the same options as in Scenario C.

While the sister school model can be daunting to adults, Seversky said children are more adept at transitions, and the kids’ transition between buildings would be mitigated by the fact that they would be moving with their whole grade to the next building.

“It’s still neighborhood-oriented, but the neighborhoods are a little larger,” he said.

Seversky’s study also included a ranking of the reconfiguration scenarios by the 38-member Funding the Future Community Advisory Committee, which included parents, empty-nesters, employees, students and local leaders.

What’s next?

Jamie Rodems, assistant superintendent for management services, said after Seversky’s presentation that the BCSD Board of Education will ultimately make decisions about changes to the district’s facilities. The BOE will hold a series of meetings in the coming months for members of the public to contribute to the district’s long-range plan.

Rodems said the goal is to present a project vote in December 2020 or February 2021.

“I want to be in the top one or two school districts in the county when people are deciding where to live,” Rodems said.

Rodems reminded the meeting’s attendees that the district nearly closed Van Buren Elementary in 2012, but the community spoke out against the idea and the BOE voted to keep the school open.

“Not every district has the support of the community that we have,” he said. “Thank goodness the board decided not to do it.”

To learn more about Funding the Future and Seversky’s study, visit bville.org/teacherpage.cfm?teacher=5973.