BY JEFF CHUDZINSKINorth Country This Week

MASSENA -- The Massena Central School District continues to evaluate a restructuring of schools in the district through a realignment study but a vocal group of residents say the plan would have a negative impact on neighborhoods and children alike. 

Superintendent Ron Burke provided a recap during the Board of Education's October meeting, saying a small but vocal group attended the two community forums as the district sought feedback. 

Burke thanked the board members who attended the two meetings while acknowledging the "lively discussion from both forums." 

He said many of the concerns raised by residents mirrored concerns raised in 2018 when the district last explored realignment. 

Burke called the concerns "very real concerns," saying the loss of neighborhood schools would lead to more transitions for students as they move through the district. 

Currently, students have three transitions, but the elimination of neighborhood elementary schools would mean two more as students get older. 

Burke said some of the concerns, which he shared with families, included the rebuilding of relationships between students and counselors or social workers. 

He said as students move from school to school it would likely mean "tearing apart those relationships" as students move on to new social workers and teachers more often. 

Transportation concerns were also raised, with parents wondering who pickup and drop off times would change. 

Others said they were concerned about longer bus rides, while some said they were uncomfortable with elementary students possibly riding with sixth and seventh graders who were more advanced. 

"That was another concern I never thought about," Burke said. 

Burke said he commonly heard families raise concerns about the loss of a "family vibe" that is found with neighborhood schools as well. 

Still, realignment is possible as the district looks to right size staffing levels. 

Burke said that would ultimately lead to job losses. 

"Obviously, we would rather do so through attrition, rather than job cuts. But that would still be a loss of jobs and employment," he said. 

Burke said the second forum was a broader discussion of the "why's" associated with the process. 

He said even with declining enrollment numbers, elementary schools are out of space due to the needs and requirement to fulfill special services and education offered in the district. 

Under multiple proposals in the realignment proposal, Burke said elementary schools would see space opened up that would allow the district to "bring our kids home" instead of them remaining on a waitlist as BOCES struggles to find space and staffing for them.

"I have to be quite honest, with those two community forums there really was not an outpouring of support to move forward with realignment," Burke said. 

He said the "small group" who attended both forums were vocal and "largely against" the proposal, but said the district was in a financial position to take its time. 

"We have the luxury of not having to make a decision at any point immediately," he said.

Though the district is not under financial strain at the moment, Burke said it was important to find a model that is sustainable as state and federal budgets and aid were hard to predict. 

That sentiment was shared by Board President Kevin Perretta who said the multi-year process was still being explored. 

Perretta acknowledged that "change is difficult" but pointed to concerns regarding foundation aid being outpaced by staff expenses. 

"We also as a community need to realize that we don't have the number of students coming to our school as in the past. We've had a significant loss," he said. 

Perretta noted staffing numbers continued to increase as the number of students, and possibly aid, have gone down. 

With roughly 75% of the budget going towards staffing, Perretta said the imbalance would eventually put the district in a tighter bind. 

Coupled with the expense for staffing and increasing utility rates, the financial stability of the district could come into question. 

Perretta also touched on state and federal budgets, saying rumors persisted that some state aid may be withheld as it was roughly 15 years ago. 

"That was a very tough time for the district and I foresee those things coming down the road again," he said. 

Perretta said potential changes to state Foundation Aid have also been on the table multiple years in a row. 

Foundation aid has also been outpaced by 300 to 400 percent when compared to expenses, he said. 

"That is a harbinger of what is to come eventually, right now we're seeing our expenses are outrunning our revenues. On a larger, long term level we will have to do something different " he said. 

That's why a realignment study and short-term review are necessary, he said. 

With a $78.2 million capital project in the works, moving students up to the high school isn't possible at the moment due to a lack of space, he said. 

"As it turned out we're in a better financial position than we thought for factors that will come out at a later time," he said. 

Still, that doesn't mean the district can become complacent, he said.

If realignment is not the solution, Perretta said the information gathered will still allow the district to implement a smaller-scale, more sustainable model within the district to lower costs while ensuring students have the resources they need. 

Burke said that despite many attendees not being in favor of a realignment at the forums he still felt a small-scale change could be beneficial.  

"I walked away with the idea that the example of people who showed up were not in favor, they were maybe in favor of something smaller but not this," he said.