Parent concerns heard at Athens public meeting
Review Photo / Amanda Renko Doug Ulkins, Athens Area School District superintendent, presents a proposed restructuring plan Tuesday.
Review Photo / Amanda Renko Athens Area School District superintendent Doug Ulkins, right, takes a question from district resident David Baker Tuesday during a public presentation of the district's proposed restructuring plan.
Athens Area School District superintendent Doug Ulkins faced a steady stream of comments, questions and concerns from district families and community members Tuesday at a Tuesday presentation regarding possible restructuring of the district's schools.
Parents, many from the outlying townships served by the district, expressed unease about issues anticipated to arise from the temporary closing of Harriet Child, Sheshequin-Ulster, and Gladys Burnham elementary schools. Those students would be consolidated at the current SRU Middle School if the restructuring plan is approved. Harlan Rowe Junior High School would become a middle school and house students in grades six through eight, while ninth graders would move to Athens Area High School.
Transportation was a primary concern among families, particularly those in Sheshequin and Ulster, several miles away from SRU's East Smithfield location. Parents said that some of their students already spend over an hour on the bus one way to get around the 174-square-mile district and did not want to see transportation problems become worse as a result of restructuring.
Road safety in the district's rural areas was also a concern, although Ulkins said Sheshequin-Ulster and Gladys Burnham schools would remain in use as bus pick-up and drop-off points.
The district will adopt an electronic bus route program in the coming school year to make transportation more efficient, Ulkins said. Another option would be to reassign students in some areas to Lynch-Bustin Elementary School.
While some in attendance praised the plan for keeping student programs intact, others said the restructuring felt rushed and felt the decision should be delayed until the next school year. The restructuring plan was first presented to the public two weeks ago, leaving little time for public input, attendees said.
Ulkins said that the restructuring, which he said would save the district $956,300 in the 2012-2013 school year, was a last-ditch effort to preserve student programs while still operating within an anticipated revenue shortfall. Ulkins said that if the plan was not approved this year, it would likely come up again next year.
"This board has very few actions at its disposal," Ulkins said of the board of education, who will make a final decision on the restructuring by its Feb. 28 meeting. "I'd love to keep all the schools open," he said, "but we're running out of options."
Ulkins said that the plan was designed to promote long-term sustainability, given the district's recent history of cuts. Teachers, support staff and programs had already been cut last year to make up a $2.2 million deficit, he said.
For the upcoming school year, there is a projected budget deficit of about $842,000, Ulkins said. While the district will receive slightly more in state aid this coming year, it lost a $176,000 accountability block grant, meaning the district lost funding overall.
Students would move around less between schools as a result of the plan, Ulkins said, improving relationships within the school as well as school spirit and the effectiveness of intervention techniques. Teachers at the combined elementary school would have more opportunities to collaborate, he said.
In addition, the district would be able to reinstate several programs it has cut in recent years, including keyboarding, industrial technology and home economics classes, and add a full-time music teacher at the high school, Ulkins said.
The plan would eliminate three and a half elementary teachers, three junior high teachers, one elementary principal, one reading teacher and seven district-wide support staff.
Under a temporary closure, the elementary schools may be closed for up to three years before further action must be taken, Ulkins said. If enrollment does not improve in that time period, the district would probably decide to sell the schools, he said.
The presentation will be posted Wednesday on the school district's website, www.athensasd.k12.pa.us, Ulkins said. He also provided his email address -
dulkins@athensasd.org - for those with further questions or comments after the meeting.
Amanda Renko can be reached at (570) 888-9652; or email: arenko@thedailyreview.com.
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