CHITTENANGO -- The Chittenango School Board unanimously approved the proposal to close Lake Street Elementary School in a meeting last night, according to school superintendent Michael Schiedo. Lake Street School will close beginning in the 2015 school year. Information about the proposal was given to parents during a meeting on earlier this month.
The board blames financial concerns and declining enrollment for the need to close Lake Street School. The Chittenango School District has reportedly lost $2.4 million in state aid over the past five years.
The closing is forcing the district to restructure the remaining schools. Bolivar Road and Bridgeport Elementary Schools will now be kindergarten through fourth grade, making the Chittenango Middle School fifth through eighth grade.
Some parents are not thrilled with the idea, as mom Kelly Lampher told CNY Central’s Katie Corrado after the informational meeting, "You've currently got 6th graders through 12th graders on the same bus, and then now adding the element of 5th grade on the bus, more 10-year-olds with 17-year-olds, is a concern."
