ACSD1 school board considers public input, to vote on Beitel consolidation

The public voiced concerns over confusion and delay in the decision-making process to move forward with closure and consolidation. Many teachers and parents of both elementary schools spoke in support of consolidating sooner rather than later.

“The original proposal was to close Beitel Elementary after the 2024-2025 school year (i.e., effective for the 2025-2026 school year),” Board Chair Beth Bear wrote in an email to the Boomerang. “However, the board heard overwhelmingly from our community, including staff at both schools, both through email and at the April 10 public hearing, requesting the board to consider closure/consolidation effective after this current school year (i.e., effective for the 2024-2025 school year).

“In light of this important feedback, the Board has decided to consider the closure/consolidation of Beitel Elementary after the current 2023-2024 school year (i.e., effective for the 2024-2025 school year).”

Original talks of closure stemmed from several concerns, most notably of a projected decrease from a Davis Demographics report of school-aged children in the district during the next 5-10 years. Ultimately, Goldhardt recommended pausing discussions last fall following concerns of the decision being made based on only one year of data. Now with two years of data and a third to be collected, Goldhardt affirmed in the April 3 meeting that the downward projections of school-aged children are accurate.

“I have to admit, I don’t like the data. It’s not something you want. But it is correct,” he said during that meeting.

In addition to falling enrollment, the 73-year-old building is projected to cost more than $4.2 million in expected maintenance during the next five years alone. Consolidating the Beitel community with Spring Creek, then, is viable because of the close proximity and Spring Creek being at only roughly half capacity.

“All Beitel students can move to Spring Creek and there is room for those students at Spring Creek,” Bear wrote. “Being a newer building, the Spring Creek building also offers amenities not available at Beitel, including a separate cafeteria and gym, a parking lot, a large grass area and playground, a bus lane, and office space for staff.”

Goldhardt’s April 3 presentation also addressed that while there may be a rearranging of some staffing positions, there is no intention to eliminate any 2024-25 Beitel teacher positions.

In light of budget-cutting talks and difficult decisions such as those to close Beitel and considerations that come with consolidations, the board has also been looking at layoffs and program cuts, having already made the “difficult decision” to reduce 15 ACSD1 positions to “align our staffing levels with our enrollment numbers,” according to Bear.

“We did eliminate 15 positions this year and have plans to look at several programs,” Bear wrote.

“The closure/consolidation of Beitel is just one of many topics the board will be discussing and making decisions on in the future. With realized and projected declining enrollment, we must be proactive in ensuring our staffing is aligned with enrollment (and therefore our funding), and that our buildings are used efficiently and near capacity.”

Community and board members alike have spoken to the emotional nature of closing a beloved school. Moving forward, Goldhardt said they will prioritize unity between staff and students throughout the consolidation process to promote the best possible atmosphere for all those affected.

“Building community and unity is vital when you’re consolidating two groups of people. And I don’t want it to be an ‘us and them’, it’s just an ‘us’. And it’s important that we remember we’re on the same team,” Goldhardt said during the April 3 meeting.

“The more we can do to unify and help people feel comfortable, the better.”

The vote on the closure of Beitel effective for the 2024-25 school year will be during the upcoming Wednesday meeting and will include a presentation from Goldhardt, public comment, and board discussion before the vote. Bear encouraged anyone wishing to make a public comment during the meeting to attend and sign-up during the event.

“We understand that closing an elementary school is emotional and impactful for many in our community and it is not a decision the Board takes lightly,” Bear wrote.

“We are listening to our community and using available information to determine the best decision going forward. We encourage anyone who wishes to share their thoughts on this to email the Board at boardofeducation@acsd1.org or to attend the meeting on April 24th at 6 p.m.”