CLAY, ONONDAGA CO. -- There is a lot of concern among parents in the Liverpool Central School District, which is facing the possible closure of an elementary school.
Parents were dropping their kids off at Wetzel Road Elementary School on Wednesday morning, wondering if this is the last year they will. "We were shocked first because we heard there was going to be a school recommended for closing, but we didn't think it would be Wetzel," said Libby Williams, a concerned parent.
Nothing is certain yet, but the Liverpool School Board president tells us closing Wetzel Road Elementary at the end of the year is a key recommendation in Superintendent Dr. Richard Johns' budget. He confirms the plan to close a school, but at this point, he won't say publicly which one. "My responsibility is to make that recommendation first to the board of education and I'll announce that Monday night," Dr. Johns said.
The cuts won't stop there. The plan is to close another elementary school down the line. To blame, Dr. Johns says, is declining enrollment and a $10.3 million shortfall, including a nearly $5 million cut in state funding.
Dr. Johns is now reaching out, trying to reassure parents. "No matter what building we close in Liverpool, we have ten wonderful elementary programs and no matter where your child ends up, they're going to get a great elementary education," he said.
The superintendent won't say what the school will be converted into, but the school board president says the goal is to create a high school campus, using buildings near the high school, including the current Wetzel Road Elementary School facility.
This plan doesn't sit well with many parents. "We just did buildings and ground upgrades on the school last summer," said Paul Bleiweiss, a concerned parent. "Why are we spending money on a school that's simply going to close?"
For now, parents wait and wonder what will become of their kids' elementary school. They aren't shy about sharing their concerns and plan to take them straight to the school board. "I'm not taking this lying down and the board of education better watch out because they're not going to be on the board of education if they close my WRE, the best school in the district," Bleiweiss said.
This isn't a done deal yet. It all depends on what the school board does at its meeting next Monday. The superintendent will present his budget, then the school board will review it and taxpayers will vote on the budget in May.
The board of education will meet on Monday, February 8th at 7:00 p.m. at the Liverpool High School.
