By Ashley M. Casey

Associate Editor

The Liverpool Central School District’s Education 2020 Committee presented its recommendations for reconfiguring the district to the Liverpool Board of Education at its Feb. 10 meeting, and now administrators are seeking comments and questions from parents and the community. District officials are hosting a series of informational meetings to share their Education 2020 vision with the community.

At a meeting held Feb. 27 at the Soule Road Complex, Deputy Superintendent Dan Henner outlined the district’s plan to overhaul grade configurations in the LCSD. The BOE is expected to vote on the proposal in June.

“[Superintendent Mark] Potter and I have scheduled close to 40 presentations before our goal of a board vote in June,” Henner said.

Over the last 20 years, enrollment in the LCSD has declined by about 2,000 students. There are now about 6,900 students in the district. With a shrinking student population, increasing costs and an aging infrastructure, the district is looking to an innovative reconfiguration of grade levels for Liverpool’s future.

“It’s not just about efficiency in dollars and cents, but how do we do more than we have ever done for our students and staff?” Henner said.

Currently, LCSD students are housed in nine elementary schools (kindergarten through grade 6), three middle schools (grades 7-8), the Liverpool High School Annex (grade 9) and Liverpool High School (grades 10-12).

The Education 2020 Committee recommends the following reconfiguration, which would require the closure of one elementary school and the district office:

• Four elementary schools housing grades K-2

• Four complexes housing grades 3-8

• Grades 9-12 and the district office at LHS with career and technical education programs at what is now Wetzel Road Elementary

Henner said the Cortland, Skaneateles and Marcellus school districts have similar configurations.

Many parents have expressed concern about middle schoolers mingling with elementary schoolers. Henner pointed out that elementary and middle schoolers currently ride the same buses, but he assured parents that these populations won’t be bumping into each other in the hallways.

Currently, the LCSD has four combined campuses: Chestnut Hill Elementary/Middle, Liverpool Elementary/Middle, Morgan Road Elementary/Liverpool High School Annex and Soule Road Elementary/Middle. MRE and the Annex and Soule Road Elementary/Middle have connected buildings, while the Chestnut Hill and Liverpool campuses contain two separate buildings.

“If the Board of Education approves the proposed reconfiguration, students in grades 3-5 will be housed on what has traditionally been the elementary side of those campuses, while students in grades 6-8 will be housed on what has traditionally been the secondary sides of those campuses. For the two buildings that currently are connected, curriculum and scheduling keep the younger students and the older students separated during the school day. That would continue to be the case if those buildings become campus schools,” reads a Q&A on the LCSD website.

Henner said the recommendation to group grades K-2 together are based on research that shows that students are less likely to drop out if they master certain literacy skills by second grade.

The K-2/3-8/9-12 reconfiguration also will allow room to grow if enrollment ever increases again. Henner said that could happen if the proposed $350 million warehouse in Clay comes to fruition.

District officials stressed that no final decision has been made.

“The board isn’t going to approve anything that can’t be done well,” said BOE member Stacey Balduf.

The district still must figure out issues such as special education bus schedules, PTO leadership, specials, and union matters.

As for the district’s previous investigation into modifying start times for middle- and high schoolers, Henner said the issue of student sleep did not register as a priority on community and staff surveys conducted by the Education 2020 Committee. Balduf said the district would have to examine scheduling as it decides on the reconfiguration plan, but the modified start time concept was abandoned because the board could not find a way to make it work for all students.

For more information about Education 2020, visit liverpool.k12.ny.us/community/education-2020 or contact Deputy Superintendent Dan Henner at 315-622-7148.

There are four more informational meetings for parents and community members:

• 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 4, at Donlin Drive Elementary

• 6 p.m. Thursday, March 5, at Liverpool Elementary

• 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 12, at Morgan Road Elementary

• 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 29, at Liverpool Public Library