Formal Vote On Rolling Hills School Closure Is Thursday

The Council Rock School Board on Thursday will consider a formal motion to close Rolling Hills Elementary School by the 2018-19 school year. The meeting starts at 7:00 p.m. at the Chancellor Center in Newtown.

The measure, which has already been discussed at previous meetings of the district's Capital Planning Committee and has the support of a majority of board members, will conclude a years-long debate over closing an elementary school.

The consensus to close Rolling Hills was reached during the final meeting the district's Master Capital Planning Committee earlier this month. If the measure passes during the formal vote, it will be followed by procedural steps required to close the school, including a hearing and a three-month waiting period.

It caps months of meetings and discussions, which also weighed closing Wrightstown Elementary as an option. As part of the motion, the board will also approve additions on both Wrightstown Elementary and Hillcrest Elementary.

Here is the motion the board is expected to consider, according to the agenda:

"I move to direct the administration to prepare and present to the Board a plan, for final Board consideration after the requisite public hearing and in accordance with all applicable legal requirements including those set forth in Section 780 of the School Code, to close Rolling Hills Elementary School, to undertake additions to Hillcrest Elementary School and to undertake additions and renovations to Wrightstown Elementary School to make that school a K-6 school. The administration's plan shall include scheduling a public hearing on August 17 regarding the proposed closure and following proper public notice."

You can view the full agenda here.