After hours of public comment and discussion, the Board voted unanimously to put the resolution on hold until an unspecified later date. The resolution would have closed Woodstock Elementary at the end of the 2027-2028 school year, as the district moves toward a consolidated campus in Boiceville by 2028.
Trustee Clark Goodrich said he supports the idea of a centralized campus, but he questioned the need for a resolution so far ahead of Woodstock’s expected closure. He also said the district doesn’t have a solid enough plan for how it will make room for Woodstock students at Boiceville’s Bennett Elementary.
“Let’s say we don’t finish the construction on time. This thing says we’re gonna close Woodstock Elementary school, but we don’t have a place for those kids to go. What are we gonna do?" asked Goodrich. "What's this resolution for? What are we trying to accomplish here?”
By introducing the resolution, some members of the Board may have been hoping to improve their odds of passing a multimillion-dollar capital plan this December. Voters rejected an earlier, $70.5 million version of the plan earlier this year, which would have upgraded the Boiceville campus and built more classrooms at Bennett to accommodate Woodstock students.
Speaking with WAMC, Vice President Rick Knutsen says some voters likely rejected that plan thinking it would save Woodstock Elementary. He says Tuesday’s resolution was meant to set the record straight: Woodstock Elementary would close in 2028, capital plan or not.
“That’s part of why we’re doing this resolution, because we want to divorce — it’s really not the community’s burden. I really think of this as a burden of making a really difficult choice for the community," he tells WAMC. "And it’s one that, by school governance design, falls to the Board of Education, not the people.”
The Board has cited declining enrollment, changes to New York’s Foundation Aid formula, and other financial headwinds for the consolidation. Proponents say a centralized campus would also allow students to make more friends and open them up to more district resources and after-school programs.
Tuesday night’s meeting saw testimony from residents on both sides of the debate. Rebecca Turmo said closing Woodstock Elementary would force students and parents to travel further for school (about 10 to 12 miles west) and could further disincentivize youth programs in Woodstock.
“We are losing so much community everywhere," said Turmo. "I’m willing to listen to your other things, but this idea of a bigger super-school when we have a perfectly acceptable building here — that amount of money, I don’t think it’s really necessary to do that this vote, at this time.”
Others said they feel the current enrollment level at Woodstock Elementary is healthy. Ed McGaedy is part of a group of parents opposing the centralization plans, called “Keep Woodstock Alive.”
“My oldest child’s class has 20 students, the New York State maximum. Every classroom is full, every space is used," he told the Board. "Woodstock Elementary is not a ghost building, it’s a thriving, vibrant school.”
Olivebridge resident Jess Wisneski, meanwhile, pointed out that Onteora serves six towns. She said a centralized campus is the best option for the overall district.
“What we know — what our facts told us, what our community sessions told us — is a central campus is gonna do the job you know you need to do, which is gonna give a more equitable education and a better education to the kids in all six towns," said Wisneski. "And that it’s more financially and environmentally sustainable for the next generation of students and families who live here."
As Board members discussed the resolution, some shared concerns about what the district would do with students if it closes Woodstock, but the capital plan continues to fail. Knutsen has said in that case, the district would potentially move fifth graders to Onteora Middle School — also on the Boiceville campus — to make room at Bennett.
Goodrich said he hasn’t heard enough about that plan yet to bank on it.
"What are we gonna do if we don’t like the plan? We haven’t looked at it, we don’t know yet," said Goodrich. "I don’t want to have to approve that plan without looking at it.”
The Board also discussed how it wants to approach the new capital plan Tuesday night. While the original plan was tax-neutral, President Cindy Bishop tells WAMC it’s possible voters were scared off by the $70.5 million price tag, which included a $55.5 million bond. Some trustees Tuesday suggested approaching the new capital plan in phases, or finding ways to reduce the price tag.
Before voting to table the resolution, Knutsen asked the crowd for patience. He said it’s been difficult to come to the public with a fully figured-out plan while also complying with state open meetings law.
“Folks, we’re figuring this out in front of you because that’s what the law tells us we have to do," he said. "We’re working on it right now, OK?”
The Board has three more meetings in October. The next is planned for October 7 in the middle school / high school auditorium.
