A collective sigh of relief was heard at out house last week - and many others - when the announcement was made that Aidan's school will not be close after this school year. Like many school districts, the Baldwinsville Central School Distict has a budget gap - $4.3 million in our case. One idea being considered to save money is to close one of the five elementary schools. Enrollment has declined over the years, and we have lost the equivalent of one school’s enrollment, so it makes sense to close one. The two oldest schools were up for consideration, one of which is the school that Aidan now attends and the other school was the one he attended when we first moved to B'ville.
The sensible, tax-paying side of me agrees wholeheartedly with closing a school; although the savings of approximately $1.3 million does not close the gap, it makes progress toward closing it. But the emotional side of me did not want Aidan to have to change schools AGAIN. When he started attending his current school, he said to me that he hoped he could stay there and not have to change schools again. The prospect of having to tell him that his school was closing made my stomach and heart ache.
So the announcement that no school will be closed after the 2011-2012 school year was welcome news. The Board of Education decided that the time frame for closing a school next year was "not adequate to create a transition plan for students, staff, and the community". Very true, but I do think they need to start NOW in planning for a closure and transition, so they will be ready for the 2013-2014 school year. And Aidan will not be affected by that decision because in B'ville, students move to one middle school for grades 6 and 7.
While I am all for cost-savings and doing what makes good fiscal sense, I am still selfishly happy that Aidan will not be affected. What does that make me? Some may say a hypocrite but I say a concerned mom.
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