While the Smithtown Central School District deliberates over school closing possibilities to save money, Mills Pond Elementary parents are lobbying to keep their school off the chopping block.
According to a Newsday report, parents of the elementary school are saying the 500 students of the school will bare the brunt of the closing, being forced into new schools.
"I cannot honestly come up with a good reason why this must be done," Noelle Ciminiello told Newsday. "The entire community is going to be collateral damage when you do this."
Newsday reported that the Citizens Advisory Committee, formed to decide if a school needs to be closed or not, narrowed down the list of schools to two – Mills Pond Elementary and Nesconset Elementary School. A recommendation by the committee should reach the Board of Education, who will have the final say in any closing, by January.
, with Nesconset Elementary, Branch Brook Elementary and Dogwood Elementary originally being reviewed by the board’s housing committee. With the creation of the Citizens Advisory Committee, , the list expanded to four schools to include Mills Pond Elementary.
Parents have stood up for their schools at past meetings, just like Mills Pond Elementary parents did at a recent board meeting, .
District officials said a closed school could save the district $500,000 a year, and enrollment is trending to decrease over the next 10 years.
