Do you have additional questions? We want to hear from you! Contact Amy Rutledge, Communications Coordinator, at [email protected] or 440-588-5312.
Why is the District closing Spruce and Forest elementary schools?
The closure of two buildings and the reconfiguration of the remaining four elementary buildings will save money, better utilize space, and maintain or improve educational services.
The educational benefits of reducing the number of elementary schools will allow the district to maximize resources, create the ability to be more consistent with class sizes, and enhance continuity of programming. For example, having four schools instead of six, will allow the opportunity to have a full-time school counselor and an English Language teacher in each school. Additionally, the ability to have all students from the same grade level in one school will keep class sizes more evenly balanced.
Additionally, the decision to close one building was actually initially made in January 2020 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. But because of needing additional space to keep our students and staff more spread out and safe, the District paused the plan.
Now, nearly two years later, the District needed to revisit this plan and take action to close these two buildings and consolidate our elementary schools from six to four.
Why does the District need less space?
Over the last 15 years, enrollment in the District has declined by 17% - about 800 students. We no longer need 6 elementary schools, and it would not be prudent to continue keeping them open when there is an opportunity to reconfigure grade levels, better utilize space, and maximize our student services.
In addition, all of our elementary facilities are old, inefficient, and over 60 years old. It is not fiscally responsible to continue operating all six and continue maintaining them as the District has been.
How much will the District save by closing two buildings and what is the savings breakdown?
The estimated cost savings of closing Spruce and Forest is $800,000 annually. This takes into consideration utility costs, operational costs, and staffing.
Will class sizes increase?
This will improve our class sizes. We will still have the same number of students to serve whether we are spread out in 6 buildings, or in 4. Thus, we will continue to have the appropriate number of teachers to serve our students. However, some of our elementary school buildings are under capacity and have very small class sizes, while others have much larger class sizes. One of the benefits of the consolidation and grade level reconfiguration will be to have a more consistent number of students in each building and each class as compared to what we currently have now. Below is a chart comparing class sizes prior to the consolidation and reconfiguration and after.
How will grade levels be reconfigured in the remaining 4 elementary school buildings?
The new grade level configuration will be:
o Birch: PreSchool – Kindergarten
o Chestnut: 1st – 3rd grade
o Maple: 1st – 3rd grade
o Pine: 4th – 5th grade
Will the consolidation impact specials?
No. Our students will continue to have PE, Art, Music, and Library. The consolidation will allow our Specials teachers to travel less frequently and spend more time with their students.
How will Title 1 services be supported after consolidation?
There will not be any decline in our Title 1 services. In fact, more students will be able to receive Title 1 support.
How will consolidation impact specialized services, such as Gifted, Special Education, Psych, EL, physical therapy, intervention, etc.?
Specialized services are important for many of our students and the district plans to continue these services. It will also not impact any of our Special Education specialized classrooms. This consolidation will provide additional opportunities with these specialized services. By closing two buildings, the district will be able to maximize services such as, physical therapy, occupational therapy and other student specific services. Having four schools instead of six, will provide the opportunity to have a full-time school counselor and English Language teacher in each building.
Why is it now feasible to close two buildings, instead of just one as the Board voted on in January 2020?
In January of 2021 Steve Shergalis, the District’s interim Business Manager and a registered architect with over 35 years of experience, conducted a fresh analysis of the possible consolidation of the District's six elementary schools. Utilizing his skills as an architect and working in close collaboration with the District’s administrative team, he was able to determine that it would be possible for the District to close two buildings by making modifications to each of the remaining four buildings. This was confirmed by the architectural firm, TDA. This allowed the District to reconfigure the grade levels in each building to enhance the educational programing while saving funds.
Will positions be eliminated when these buildings are closed?
With the elimination of two buildings, we will need less personnel. It is our hope that the reductions will be able to be made through attrition. Since we have collective bargaining agreement language that addresses this concept, we will know more after the March retirement notification deadline.
What happens if enrollment increases – is there enough room in just the 4 buildings to accommodate an increase in enrollment?
Yes, the four elementary schools would be able to accommodate over 2,000 students in total. Based on current enrollment and projections for the 2022-2023 school year, the District will have 1,673 students enrolled. Thus, there would be space to accommodate an additional 327 students, if enrollment increases in the upcoming years.
In addition, we worked with Future Think, a well-respected company that performs comprehensive enrollment projection reports. Over the next ten years, North Olmsted Schools’ enrollment is projected to level off at about 3,700.
Below is a chart displaying the decline in enrollment the North Olmsted Schools have experienced.
When will I know which elementary school my child will be attending?
All PK & K students will attend Birch. All 4th & 5th grade students will attend Pine. Updated boundary lines for Chestnut & Maple (1st-3rd grades) were approved at the January 6th Board of Education meeting. A high resolution map of the boundary lines is posted at the top of this page.
How will this impact transportation? Will my student be on the bus for a longer time?
We ask for your patience as the District undertakes reconfiguring school boundary lines and restructuring our transportation routes. We anticipate announcing updated bussing boundaries in January 2022. We will be in communication with you as soon as those decisions have been finalized. Per an OSBA transportation study, this change will not result in an increase in the number of buses or drivers needed. All of our regular routes can all be under 40 minutes.
What will happen to Spruce and Forest once they are closed? Will they be demolished?
The sale process is outlined by Law in the Ohio Revised Code. We will work through that process and with the City of North Olmsted to identify the most responsible use for these buildings. While there is no definitive plan right now, we will keep you updated.
The District lost an operating levy in May 2021 and May 2022. Does the district still need funding?
Yes, the need is still there. The District has not had an increase in operating dollars for 11 years, which means revenue has remained flat for over a decade despite costs rising. In particular, even though property values have increased, revenue has not increased for the schools. Rather, the District collects at the same rate as when it was voted on in 2010.
Without an increase in operating revenue since 2010, the District is quickly spending down reserves as other costs have continued to rise – such as technology and supplies; utilities like gas, electricity, and fuel; food services; and salaries and benefits. By the end of 2024, the District forecasts it will be completely out of funds, which is why leaders are acting now to make difficult decisions about its needs and priorities.
Will the District be on the ballot in November with a levy?
The need to address both our finances and facilities still exists. The Board of Education will be make a decision about next steps in the coming months.
There had been talks about a bond issue to replace the aging elementary school facilities. Is that still being considered?
The District was on the ballot on May 3, 2022 with Issue 1. Issue 1 would have addressed our financial needs but also the District's facility needs. Issue 1 proposed that the district build a new elementary school for PK-5. This elementary school would be one facility but operate as two separate buildings. Unfortunately Issue 1 was not successful.
The district still needs to consolidate the school buildings from 6 to 4. We have stretched our last operating levy for 11 years, which demonstrates good fiscal stewardship, but we cannot delay any longer.
It is still true that all of our elementary school buildings are old, inefficient, and present numerous educational and financial challenges. Each of our buildings have surpassed their intended life spans and served our community well for the past 60 years. In fact, the most recent assessment of our elementary school facilities determined there are over $60 million in outstanding capital needs. Building new elementary schools to replace our aging elementary schools was a recommendation from the Facilities Task Force in 2019.