Decreasing enrollment numbers and a budget shortfall may mean one less school in the Livingston School District.
Superintendent Lynne Scalia says the demographic of Livingston is shifting and it's affecting the number of students in the district.
“Over the past decade, there has been slowly declining enrollment," says Scalia.
At the Livingston School Board meeting Tuesday night, trustees discussed the potential closure of Washington School and relocation of students and staff to Winans, and if necessary, East Side School.
“What we're looking at is consolidating three schools into two,” says Scalia.
Several teachers from the district shared their concerns about jobs and other potential fallout of restructuring.
Scalia says the potential move would only affect one position and possibly some other one-of-a-kind positions.
“It would be one administrative position, but that administrator would be able to move into another open position in the administrative ranks due to a retirement,” says Scalia.
The consolidation is being considered and discussed because of the district's projected $1.4 million budget shortfall due to low enrollment and COVID relief funds running out, and Scalia believes this move would do more good than bad.
“Kids would be moving into just schools with better HVAC systems, windows, and that sort of thing,” says Scalia.
The hope is to have a decision on whether to move forward with this discussion by April.
