Open forum for questions and concerns
If you have any questions or feedback regarding Scotia-Glenville CSD Reimagining Our Schools project, feel free to ask on this form.
We will do our best to ensure your inquiry is acknowledged and/or answered within 48 hours. Please note that questions may be posted on this page for others to see.
Your questions answered
Q: Is Scotia-Glenville CSD considering closing an elementary school?
A: Yes, Scotia-Glenville is looking at closing or repurposing one of our four elementary schools at the end of the 2025-2026 school year.
Q: Why would Scotia-Glenville close or repurpose an elementary school?
A: Declining enrollment and financial challenges are the main reasons. Scotia-Glenville’s enrollment has dropped by more than 500 students over the past 15 years (we currently have 2,114 students compared to 2,677 students in 2011-12.) Scotia-Glenville is also looking at another budget gap of more than $1 million next year; closing or repurposing a school would create significant cost savings and help us preserve programs and supports for our students districtwide.
Q: What school could close or be repurposed?
A: The district has not yet decided. We have created a Reimagining Our Schools Committee, made up of more than 50 community volunteers, who meet each month to discuss all aspects of a school closing. The group will share regular updates about their work in the months ahead.
Q: When will we know what school will be closed or repurposed?
A: A decision is expected this February. Superintendent Susan Swartz will present a recommendation to the Board of Education based on the data and feedback from the Reimagining Our Schools Committee; the Board is then expected to vote on that recommendation at its February meeting.
Q: If my neighborhood school remains open, how will this affect me?
A: Every family, faculty and staff member will be impacted in some way by a school closing or repurposing. Bus routes may change, attendance boundaries will need to be redrawn, staffing in schools will shift, and grade-level configurations could be reconsidered. We have committees of parents, community members, faculty and staff working to examine these very issues from every angle.
Q: What does repurpose a school mean?
A: Repurposing a school means Scotia-Glenville finds another use for a school building, such as using it for a Pre-K program, instead of closing the building.
Q: If a school is closed, would all the faculty and staff in that building lose their jobs?
A: No. Any staffing reductions would be done through districtwide seniority, as well as considerations like areas of teaching certification.
Q: How can I learn more?
A: The district plans to share frequent updates about the work of our Reimagining Our Schools Committee in the months ahead. Please tune in to our Board of Education meetings where we will share summaries from our workgroups as well as ongoing discussions. We also created a Reimagining Our Schools webpage on our district website where you can find enrollment studies, presentations, and more information.
Q: What if I have a question?
A: Community members are encouraged to direct questions and feedback to this form. You can also attend Board of Education meetings, which are also livestreamed on our YouTube channel.
Q: Questions: If the decision to repurpose an elementary school is decided, has the possibility of using the building for our alternative education program being discussed?
A: All suggestions, including this one, can be considered.
Q: Is this committee made of people from all the schools, so they all have a say?
A: The work groups are made up of volunteers from our teaching and support staff around the district, community residents, and administrators. Folks volunteered and chose the work group they were most interested in to serve on. We are still accepting help from anyone who would like to participate.
In addition, there will be an opportunity to respond to a survey and/or participate in two public forums.
Q: Is an option still being considered that would keep all of the elementary schools open as they exist today?
A: On Monday evening, November 10, the BOE endorsed the concept of closing / repurposing one of the four elementary schools. As we begin planning for the 2026 – 2027 school year, we will include a school closure in our planning.
However, the BOE has not formally voted to close a school as of this date.
Q: Since the decline of enrollment started in 2015, what has the district done to keep families from leaving the area, recruiting family to the areas, encouraging parents not to homeschool or send students to alternative school (ex private school). What plans of any are there for this in the future? Does the district work with the town and village to make our district an enticing place to live. As far as housing development projects, what demographic of families are being targeted?
A: The district provides information to area realtors upon their request. We also respond to individual inquiries regarding our schools. We do not take an active role in discouraging parents from making decisions (homeschooling, private school enrollment) they feel are in the best interest of their child(ren).
We do work with both the Village and Town of Glenville to serve our students and their families. As with most schools in the state (and across the nation) school enrollments are down because families are having less children. There simply are not as many students to educate.