The Pine Plains Central School District has denied Stanford’s request for expanded representation on a newly formed advisory committee studying the possible closure of Cold Spring Early Learning Center, saying the panel must maintain equal participation from each town in the district.
In a March 5 email to Board of Education President Amie Fredericks, Stanford Town Supervisor Julia Descoteaux asked that six Stanford residents be allowed to serve on the district’s Building Utilization Advisory Committee, rather than the three members initially allotted to each town.
“While we understand the initial recommendation was for three representatives per town, we respectfully request that Stanford be permitted to have six members on the committee,” Descoteaux wrote.
She argued that broader representation was warranted because the potential school closure under discussion is located in Stanford and because Stanford taxpayers account for about 34% of the district’s tax contribution.
But in a March 6 response obtained by the Herald, Fredericks rejected the request, saying the district intends to structure the committee around equal representation from each municipality.
The district’s attendance area includes students from 11 communities — Amenia, Ancram, Ancramdale, Clinton Corners, Elizaville, Millbrook, Millerton, Pine Plains, Red Hook, Stanfordville and Tivoli. At three representatives per community, a fully populated advisory committee would total 33 members, underscoring the district’s effort to keep the panel broad while maintaining the same level of representation for each community.
“We have sought that the committee be constituted with equal stakeholder representation from each town to provide equitable opportunities for participation across the participating municipalities regardless of wealth ratio and percentage of taxes attributable to Town residents,” Fredericks wrote.
She said the district would not increase the number of representatives for any one town.
“It is paramount to the District that the Education Law Section 402-A committee functions as a collaborative advisory body in which all communities have an opportunity to participate on equal footing,” Fredericks wrote. “For that reason, the District does not intend to expand the number of representatives for any individual municipality notwithstanding the request made to double the participating members from your Town versus the numbers representative of other Towns.”
Fredericks also noted that she and school board member Julia Tomaine, both Stanford residents, will participate in the advisory committee.
“To that end, the representation from the Town is already enlarged versus the status quo of three individuals,” Fredericks wrote.
The Building Utilization Advisory Committee was created after the Board of Education voted Feb. 17 to form the panel rather than move directly toward a decision on school consolidation. The committee was charged with studying the educational impact of a possible building closure — including the potential shuttering of Cold Spring Early Learning Center in Stanfordville and the relocation of its pre-K through first-grade students to Seymour Smith Intermediate Learning Center in Pine Plains — and producing a formal Educational Impact Statement for the board by Sept. 30, 2026.
District materials say the report is expected to address students, transportation, staffing, finances, educational programs, and broader community effects before the board considers any future vote on closure or consolidation.
Within the district’s existing structure, Stanford ultimately nominated three representatives and one alternate: Lauren Osterman, Brooke Brown, and Kyle O’Dell, with Caroline Blackburn serving as an alternate.
According to Descoteaux’s letter, Osterman, the town’s recreation director, was recommended because of her long tenure working with the town, her familiarity with the community and families, and the fact that she has children currently in the district. Descoteaux wrote that Osterman also has the flexibility to attend the full meeting schedule and coordinate effectively with the town.
Brown was recommended as “the Stanford representative and chair of the Stanford delegation,” with Descoteaux writing that she “is highly engaged in the community, thoughtful in her approach, and communicates clearly and effectively.”
O’Dell, Descoteaux wrote, “brings a valuable finance background, has four children currently in the district, and is himself a graduate of the Pine Plains Central School District.” She said his perspective “as both a parent and alumnus would be extremely valuable as the committee evaluates data and financial implications.”
Blackburn, who will serve as the alternate, was described by Descoteaux as “a local attorney with two children in the district.” She wrote that Blackburn’s “legal background and analytical approach would provide strong support as the committee reviews materials and prepares the Educational Impact Statement.”
Fredericks also raised a procedural issue involving Brown, who is running for a seat on the school board this spring. If Brown is elected and takes office July 1, Fredericks wrote, she could no longer serve as Stanford’s representative on the committee because her presence would create a quorum of board members.
“I share that information in the interest of full transparency,” Fredericks wrote, adding that the committee would benefit from continuity of membership.
The broader consolidation discussion has been underway since July 2024, district officials have said, driven by declining enrollment and financial pressure. The debate intensified late last year after Superintendent Brian Timm presented a short-term proposal to close Cold Spring and relocate its pre-K through first-grade students to Seymour Smith Intermediate Learning Center in Pine Plains, drawing strong opposition from Stanford parents and residents who argued the district was moving too quickly and without sufficient public analysis.
The advisory committee is scheduled to begin meeting March 12 and continue through the spring and summer as it prepares the Educational Impact Statement that will inform any future decision by the Board of Education.