Regency Park Parents Get Some Answers About the School's Future

Plum school officials maintain that the closure of any school in the district hasn't been discussed.

At the June 21 school board facilities committee meeting, a little more than 10 parents of Regency Park Elementary students showed up wearing their "We love Regency Park Elementary" T-shirts.

Parents have been concerned about the future of the school since February, when a study of custodial and maintenance services by Frombach Consulting in Brentwood suggested closing the school after stating that operating costs for the school—which has the smallest enrollment with about 295 students—were higher than the other four elementary schools in the district.

School board member Andy Drake said that was just a suggestion and the board hasn't talked about it. Should the district decide to close any school, officials would have to complete several studies to make sure they are making the right choice.

Superintendent Lillian Naccarati said the district would have to conduct a year-long study of the district. If the board decides to close a school, the process takes an additional year.

"My estimation is we're at several years down the road," she said.

Parents also had been concerned about possibly having a part-time principal.

Naccarati said that won't be the case. The school will have a full-time principal next school year.

The first 25 students to enroll in kindergarten at Regency Park are ensured a spot at the school. The others are sent to other schools.

Currently, there is one class each of 25 students in kindergarten and first grade. Next year, there only will be one second grade classroom in the school.

Parent Lisa Callaghan said she doesn't understand why that happens because people want their children to attend Regency Park.

"You spend money on fuel and wear and tear of the buses to take the kids out of their neighborhood," she said.

Drake said a lot of factors are taken into account with that process, including the number of students at other schools, the number of extra teachers needed at Regency Park for more students who attend the school, and existing bus routes.

"Running a bus a little bit more is less costly than a teacher's salary," he said. "It's a combination of a lot of things that have to be looked at."

School board member Sal Collela, who has shown his support for keeping Regency Park open, said it wouldn't make sense to close the school because the population in Plum is increasing.

"The worst thing we could do is close a school to have to build one later," he said.

However, Drake said district enrollment has been decreasing throughout the years.

He said he hopes it doesn't get to the point where a district school will close, but it's a possibility.

"We haven't done anything to say or no, but we have to look at it," he said. "We're no different than any other school district. My goal is not to close a school, but I also hear from a lot of people who say they can't afford their taxes.

"There has to be a balance."

Callaghan asked that she and other parents and residents of the neighborhood be included in any discussion pertaining to the future of the school.