Large Crowd Expected to Discuss Declining Enrollments at Clarkstown School Board Meeting Tonight

A large crowd is expected at tonight’s meeting of the Clarkstown Board of Education.

The agenda itself seems quiet—there are a lot of personnel items, approval of some student clubs and events, a discussion about the open seat on the board. But it’s the district’s new demographer’s report that has everyone’s attention.

A discussion of that report is scheduled for 7 p.m.

And a standing-room only crowd is expected, according to the Rockland County Times.

That’s because the demographer’s findings—that enrollment across the school district is rapidly dropping—might not bode well for passionate supporters of Congers Elementary School.

The school, built in 1927, was closed in 2013 when a crack was discovered in the gym wall. After intense lobbying from Congers residents, the school board asked voters about spending $6.5 million to reconstruct and upgrade the building to meet current requirements. The referendum passed in February 2014 by more than 1,000 votes; however, support for the bond varied greatly among the election districts. Only in Election District 2, at Lakewood Elementary School, did the ‘yesses’ outnumber the ‘noes’ —and the majority there was enough to carry the whole district.

See related story: Congers Elementary Bond Approved by Voters

The district received the state education department’s approval for the reconstruction project in September.

However, it received its demographer’s report in October.

The population analysis concluded that enrollments, already lower (at about 8,400 students) than they’ve been in 20 years, are expected to decline by another 10 percent by 2018.

The population in the district is getting older, a trend that is expected to continue, as the baby boomlet that drove enrollments up across the county comes to an end. Also, housing sales have been declining, bringing fewer young families into the district.

Enrollments peaked in Rockland County schools in 2004; in Clarkstown, the peak was 2006. Since then, the numbers have dropped rapidly.

In Clarkstown, the total elementary-age student enrollment is expected to drop by 244 children, to 3,175 from the current 3,419 pupils.

That’s about the size of an elementary school.

Of the 10 elementary schools in the district, Congers is the smallest, with 235 students this year, down from about 300 in 2013—a number also expected to continue to decline.

All the district’s schools are projected to have an increasing amount of unutilized space as the decline continues.

Concerned that the CES reconstruction project has not moved forward, Congers residents and civic groups have called for a large turnout at tonight’s school board meeting, the Rockland County Times reported.

The meeting is at the Chestnut Grove Administrative Center. The trustees will meet in executive session at 6:30 p.m.; then the demographer’s report will be discussed from 7-8 p.m. and the business portion of the meeting is scheduled to start at 8 p.m.

Read the demographer’s report here.

Read about the accuracy of the demographer’s reports here.

Related: The 2014 Congers Elementary School bond vote sparked a lot of discussion on Patch.

• About the overall quality of the district

• About state aid

• On various people’s opinions

• On the taxpayer cost