Neighbor News
Community Forum on Possible School Closing to be Held Tonight
School district officials seek input from parents and community at the Newtown High School lecture hall beginning at 7:30 p.m.
As the Newtown School District faces the possibility of closing down a school due to declining enrollment, a community forum has been scheduled for tonight (May 28) at the Newtown High School lecture hall at 7:30 p.m.
The only schools that are safe from being closed is the Newtown High School and the new Sandy Hook Elementary School which will open for the 2016-17 school year at the old site.
The 2016-17 school year is also the targeted year for a school possibly closing down. School Superintendent Dr. Joseph Erardi seeks public input on the decision at tonight’s public forum.
Find out what's happening in Newtownfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
“Tonight offers the folks in attendance the opportunity to share their thoughts with my office and with the Board of Education who will be in attendance,” he said.
Only the Board of Education has the power to close down a school in Newtown. Details of a ten-year, projected enrollment study commissioned by the district and prepared by the Connecticut-based consulting firm, Milone & MacBroom will be shared at the forum.
Find out what's happening in Newtownfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Details of a separate internal enrollment study completed by district officials will be revealed to the Board of Education and the general public at its June 2 regular meeting.
School enrollment is expected to drop by about 195 students for the next school year and will continue to drop by about 200 students per year for the next five to six years, Dr. Erardi told the parents in attendance at a previous forum.
Erardi previously revealed several different grade configurations which could be looked at by the Board, including a K-5 / 6-8 / 9-12 setup, or a K-4 / 5-7 / 8-12 setup, among other possibilities.
The town’s entire pre-school program will be moved to the new Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2016-17 and would contribute to the school’s 500 student enrollment cap.
Erardi has stressed that Newtown’s declining school enrollment, due to a declining birth rate and housing market in town, is not unique to Newtown and is happening in similar suburban towns in Connecticut.
