The Pine Plains Central School District Board of Education will postpone its Feb. 3 vote on whether to shutter Cold Spring Early Learning Center, pending formation of a community-based advisory committee that will be responsible for analyzing building utilization and the educational impact of consolidation.
In an email sent to members of the school community on Thursday, Jan. 29, Superintendent Brian Timm and School Board President Amie Fredericks wrote, “As we finalize the agenda setting for our next Board meeting, given that we plan to recommend the formation of this committee, we will be postponing any further consideration of a school building closure until after the committee has had the opportunity to analyze building utilization and educational impact. We believe that this meets our fiduciary duty while at the same time continuing to look at ways to ensure that the district is able to provide a robust educational experience for all of its students.”
Declining student enrollment and mounting financial pressure has fueled the current debate surrounding school consolidation, ongoing since July 2024.
In January, officials learned that employee health care premiums for the district’s more than 200 employees could rise by as much as 16.4% for the 2026-27 academic year — increasing the school budget by $1.6 million, and piercing the state 2% tax cap by an additional 2.7%.
This prompted Timm to recommend a cost-saving short-term plan to shutter Cold Spring at the Jan. 8 school board meeting: The elementary school’s pre-K through first grade students would be moved to Seymour Smith Intermediate Learning Center, which currently serves grades two through five.
His proposal drew strong opposition from parents in Stanford, where Cold Spring is located. More than 75 community members attended the Jan. 20 school board meeting; most of those who spoke were against the school’s closure. The board agreed to consider the new public input, await state funding numbers and the finalized health premium costs — and postpone the consolidation vote for two weeks.
Because of a looming fiscal deadline, the Board of Education’s decision has to be made soon: The district’s tax levy calculation must be received by the state comptroller’s office on March 1. And if the tax cap is pierced, notification must also be given that day.
The next BOE meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 3 at the Stissing Mountain High School library.
I applaud Dr. Timm and the BOE for navigating these murky waters. It is clear that they want to make the best decision for the students as well as the community.
The creation of this advisory committee will certainly ensure a community wide optimal solution.
It’s also a relief that full state aid (plus a bit more) were available for 2025/26, allowing a bit of breathing room to support this effort.