Business & Finance

3 schools will close in the Sachem (N.Y.) district

Board votes to close 1 middle and 2 elementary schools to address declining enrollment
Dec. 17, 2015

The Sachem (N.Y.) School Board has voted to close one middle and two elementary schools at the end of the school year.

The district reported on its Facebook page that board members voted 6 to 3 to accept a plan put together by a demographer that addresses an enrollment decline in the district by closing Tecumseh and Gatelot elementary schools, and Sequoya Middle School.

The demographer presented two options to the board. The second option proposed closing different schools--Lynwood and Nokomis elementary schools, and Seneca Middle School.

"Each of the two plans includes minimum disruption by minimizing the number of students reassigned," the demographer's report states. 

The report said that other criteria used for deciding which campuses to close included maintaining the K-5 grade configuration, maintaining elementary school feeder patterns, minimizing transportation costs, attempting to maintain neighborhoods, and having a plan that is sustainable for five years.

About the Author

Mike Kennedy

Senior Editor

Mike Kennedy, senior editor, has written for AS&U on a wide range of educational issues since 1999.

Sign up for American School & University Newsletters