Most speakers urge board not to close Chauncey

Community members, children, parents and educators all let their voices be heard last Wednesday night during a public forum held by the Athens City School Board on a proposal that would close the Chauncey Elementary school building and send its students to The Plains Elementary.

In December, school Supt. Carl Martin presented his recommendation to the school board. He explained that this should allow the cash-strapped district to save close to $1 million per year. He wrote that the district currently faces a $12 million projected budget shortfall by 2016.

His plan further recommends, in the short-term, to review other areas of operation such as the district's teaching and support personnel, transportation, employee insurance and substitute personnel. Another short-term recommendation is to strive to maintain the Chauncey Elementary building as a resource for the district.

Many of the speakers during the public hearing related their own experiences at Chauncey Elementary and praised the teachers and community there.

The school board was presented with a variety of materials, including alternative proposals. One such proposal suggested making equal amounts of cuts to each of the schools in the district. A petition was submitted to the board with 972 signatures of people who do not want Chauncey Elementary shut down.

Many supporters of the school wore gray Chauncey t-shirts. Chauncey teacher Sheila Ross revealed to the board that the school's staff has held discussions and is willing to reduce staff levels so that each grade level has only one teacher. Ross said the proposal would include reducing six teacher positions, along with aides for art, music and physical education and an intervention specialist. She said that this would save the district around $500,000. Moreover, she proposed a shared principal for The Plains and Chauncey elementary buildings.

"We know you need to make budget cuts; we know we need to lose teachers," she said. "Let us adults take the brunt of that"

Ann Cunningham, a literacy coordinator at Chauncey, supported the idea of putting each grade level into one room.

"It puts all your resources together in one place and makes your education more effective," she said.

Parent Autumn Bycofski pointed to other buildings in the district that are older than the Chauncey school building.

"West Elementary is closing itself down every year. It's falling apart," Bycofski said. "If we have to displace children, let's find a way to do it where it's permanent." 

Several people, including Ross, suggested that children from disadvantaged backgrounds tend to perform better when put in a classroom with kids from more advantaged backgrounds. But this won't be as likely to happen if children from Chauncey are combined with children from The Plains.

Michele Pratt, a speech therapist in the Athens district who works in all of the buildings, agreed.

"Let's not take these two disadvantaged schools and put them together, not having peer models for the students to strive for," she said. "I know what these kids go through every day before they step through the door. It's amazing they make it to school."

In his original letter announcing the proposal, Martin provided enrollment figures for the district showing that it has declined by 1,261 students since 1978. He said that the 2010 U.S. Census indicates that current enrollment should hold steady for several years.

Martin also cited figures showing that Chauncey Elementary has the lowest enrollment of any school in the district, with 134 students. It is followed by West Elementary with 266 and The Plains Elementary with 338. The other two elementaries in the district are East and Morrison-Gordon.

Chauncey Village solicitor R.J. Shostak, speaking on behalf of the Village Council, said that when the school was originally incorporated into the Athens City School District decades ago, promises were made that it would not be shut down.

"The Constitution of the United State guarantees all citizens equal protection of the law and freedom from discrimination," Shostak said. "Those least able to absorb the closure of this community school are the very ones the district superintendent has thrust closure upon."

In closing, school board President Chris Gerig thanked participants for their input.

"We would never dream of making a decision of this magnitude without having the chance to look people in the eye and to give you the chance to share your thoughts and opinions…" he said. "I can promise you that I will read everything that I have been presented with, and I will study and think about the solutions and proposals that have been given."

Gerig said that Martin's proposal will be on the agenda for the board's next meeting, Jan. 26. He was uncertain whether a vote on the proposal would be taken at that time.